Ghosts from the past 過去からの亡霊 Kako kara no bōrei
by Elfyna
Summary: After an anonymous phone call, Naru and Mai prepare to take on a mysterious case. Miles away, Haruka promises to help a friend out, dragging Yakumo along. A twist of fate brings them together under one roof, throwing them into the very heart of a vicious haunting. Can they delve into the past deeply enough to solve it, or will they be swallowed up by the ghosts of their own pasts?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_She lay there, unable to move, trapped under what felt like an iron boulder. She knew nothing was there, but the pressure felt all too real. No matter how hard she tried, how deeply she inhaled, the air just refused to rush into her lungs. Instead, they flattened with every breath she failed to take, until finally, she felt herself slowly departing her depleted body. If only she had been able to foresee the horrors that had taken place. If only. But it was too late now, the damage was done, and her heart had broken from all the pain and suffering she knew was yet to be endured by those she loved the most._

Mai awoke with a start, breathing heavily, happy to be able to once more feel the invigorating rush of fresh air into her lungs. Feeling dizzy, she put a hand to her head. Thankfully, she was now more than used to her incredibly vivid dreams, but could still be fairly shaken when such violent emotions arose from them. The loss, anger, pain and deep, deep sadness still clung to her. Turning onto her back, Mai wondered what had prompted such a dream. She normally only got those when investigating a case with Naru.

_Knock knock._

The sound startling her, Mai jumped up, her hair a mess and her eyes still somewhat hazy, and stumbled to the front door. Looking through the peephole, she couldn't help but groan. He never called before coming. Why? Was it so hard? Somewhat reluctantly, she opened the door. Before she could so much as utter one syllable, Naru slid past her, removing his coat and depositing it neatly on the sofa before making an efficient beeline for the red armchair positioned across from it. Ever since she had managed to scrape enough money together to get her own apartment, it had somehow become the Shibuya Psychic Research Centre headquarters. With every passing day, Naru made himself more and more at home, behaving as if he paid the rent. Here he was, comfortably sitting, holding a book in one hand and surveying the room with his usual air of detached boredom, acting for all the world as if she were the one who had just walked into his place.

'It seems I am too generous with your pay check.'

Too groggy to bother attempting to follow his train of thought, she replied with a simple 'What?'

'You shouldn't be able to afford this standard of living. It will turn you complacent; you will become lazy and fat.'

He briefly looked at her before adding;

'Although I see some of that has already happened.'

'Are you calling me fat?!'

As per usual, rather than giving her the satisfaction of a reply, he changed the course of the conversation entirely. Book still in hand, he launched into his next topic of choice.

'I got a call about a case this morning. I said I'd take it. We leave in an hour.'

Mai stood there, in front of him, genuinely asking herself why she still worked for him. He had no manners, no sense of work ethic and absolutely no tact whatsoever.

'Pack a suitcase with a few clothes. I don't know how long we will be there for, and it's far.'

She waited a few moments to see if he would venture any more information. Naru however, had gone back to his book, and was purposely ignoring her. No, ignoring would imply actively attempting something. He had simply decided that she no longer existed.

'You're not going to give me any more than that are you?'

'Actually, there is one thing.'

'Yes?'

'Tea.'

Disconcerted, she frowned. Seeing this, Naru sighed heavily, still amazed by her tenacious ability to let the understanding of the simplest of things pass her by. It really was a talent.

'Tea. Make me some.'

'Oh right.'

Old habits certainly die hard. After 3 years of having Mai make his tea, Naru now categorically refused to accept the beverage from anyone but her. He didn't even attempt to make it himself anymore. And he called _her_ lazy. Still, she knew better than to argue on this point, and set herself to the task. Pouring the steaming amber liquid into the delicate china cup, she wondered where their next case would take them. It would be nice to go somewhere agreeable for a change, rather than the drab, decrepit buildings they tended to go to.

'There you are. I'm going to shower and get ready. Please make yourself at home.'

If Naru detected the tinge of sarcasm with which the last sentence was adorned, Mai could not tell. Had she turned around on her way to her room however, she would have seen his lips stretch into a small, discreet smile.

人

Hands on the steering wheel, Naru thought back to the odd phone call he received earlier that morning. Though the caller knew who he was, they refused to disclose their own identity, and wouldn't even provide an address until Naru assured him beyond any doubt that he would take the case on. The details were fairly generic. Strange sounds, sightings, inanimate objects seemingly moving on their own…Half of the time these were the result of paranoid minds or well thought out pranks. Still, the caller had promised to pay him handsomely for his time, and that was more than enough motivation for him. Moreover, he had wasted no time in researching whatever he could about the abode situated at the given address. About 55 years ago, three deaths had occurred in one day on that estate. That was sure to attract headlines.

'Are we there yet?'

Mai's question drew him out of his thoughts.

'No.'

'When will we get there? It's already been 3 hours!'

Not answering her question, he turned right into a small winding country road. Rolling past on each side were acres of fields, made all the more bright and cheery by the warm sunlight. The intoxicating smell of nature rushed in through the open windows, and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the aroma, though he would never admit to it. Finally, after another half hour, they reached the estate.

'Naru…You're not serious? This isn't the...We're not…'

Mai's voice trailed off as she took in the sight that greeted them. After having driven past a row of cherry trees and a garden which seemed to extend for quite a few metres, an enormous mansion built of stone came into a view. In front of it was a fountain in the shape of a fox, also of stone. She watched, semi transfixed, as crystalline water flowed from the animal's open mouth. The fox itself stood on it hind legs, one paw in the air and its tail upright, commanding attention. She felt a small shudder course through her spine as she stared into its eyes.

'Ah, you must be the guests. Please, do come in.'

Mai followed Naru into the huge building, not daring to say a word. Never had a place had such an unnerving effect on her. She didn't much like grand buildings anyway, they always made her feel so…common. The butler led them through a lavishly decorated lobby into a large and open dining room. He motioned for both herself and Naru to sit in one of the numerous chairs which were positioned around a great big oak table.

'If you will excuse me for a moment, I will inform the master of your presence.'

With a little bow, he left the room. Mai took this opportunity to harass Naru one more time.

'Will you tell me what this is about? I can't believe you dragged me to this place without telling me anything!'

'You're the one who wanted to go somewhere nice this time. I don't understand the complaint.' He let out an exasperated sigh. 'Women can never be contented.'

How did he…? Had she said that out loud?!

'No, you did not tell me that, I just assumed correctly that it was what you were thinking. You're far too easy to read. The fact that your simplicity has not yet been taken advantage of by anyone is beyond me.'

'You're mistaken. You did, when you made me think that I owed you for that camera, the one which I broke when we met.'

'You found out about that two years ago, and yet you are still here. Perhaps part of you enjoys being taken advantage of.'

This last comment caused her to blush, and any retort she had ready was obliterated. He always managed to shock her into silence. A small voice in her head added, _Eugene would never have said anything of the sort_. Frustrated at herself, she shook her head. She hated comparing the two brothers, and knew that thinking about _him_ would only amount to sadness. She pushed the nagging thought back, and concentrated on her surroundings. She wouldn't be surprised if a ghost or vengeful spirit lurked here, it was all so expensively melancholic and gloomy. Even the wallpaper was a dark plum colour, and sucked out any light which came into the room.

'Sorry to keep you waiting.'

A handsome man entered the room. His blonde hair was tousled, but his aristocratic features definitely said that he belonged in this setting. His warm and welcoming smile reached his deep green eyes, and Mai couldn't help but smile back. In tow, a small girl of about 7 skipped happily, singing some merry nursery rhyme or other. She too had blonde hair, which bounced with every skip. Her sweet and melodious voice brightened up the room all at once.

'Akira, why don't you go play with your cousins whilst I have a chat with these nice people?'

Akira nodded and did a little dance, encircling her father, before skipping out of sight.

Her father joined Naru and Mai at the table, sitting across from them. Before he could say anything, Naru spoke up.

'Were you the one who I talked to on the phone this morning?'

'Ah, yes I was. My name is Katsura, I apologise for being so vague about all this. You see, our family's reputation is such that I could not disclose anything until I was sure you would come.'

So that was why Naru wouldn't tell her anything; it wasn't because of his insufferable character, but because he didn't know much himself. Mai took out her small notepad and the pen which Naru had gifted her for her 19th birthday.

'So, what exactly is the problem?'

'Well, this estate has been vacant for over 50 years. It used to be my father's family home, but after…well, he had to move, and hasn't returned since. He wouldn't even mention it until recently. Now however, it's as if he became obsessed with it. He wouldn't stop mentioning it until we eventually agreed to all spend our annual family summer holiday here.'

'Mmhm.'

'Since we have arrived, which was about a week ago, he's been acting strange. We barely see him, and when we do, he just scowls and leaves. My father isn't the grouchy type, he's always been all smiles, especially with the children. But he's been unrecognisable for the past week.'

Naru observed the person sitting in front of him. He had become nervous and clammy, as if talking about his father made him uncomfortable.

'That's not all. There have been odd…occurrences…'

Katsura was becoming increasingly nervous, barely able to carry on.

'The children…they say that they can hear voices.'

'Children? How many are there?'

'Well, there's my daughter Akira, and my two sisters' children, Sakura, Hak, Gin and Isma.'

'I see. And do they hear these voices often?'

'Everyday.'

'Anything else?'

'Yes…I know this sounds cliché but, lights will switch on and off on their own accord, objects will move, things disappear, and…well, it's the strangest thing. From time to time, the entire mansion will fill up with the most acrid smell…As if something has been set on fire.'

Mai made sure to note all these details down, whilst Naru carefully thought about his next question.

'Have any murders happened in this house?'

Katsura, surprised, quickly answered;

'No, no.'

'Are you sure?'

From the tone of his voice, Mai knew that Naru had acquired more information than he was letting on. Still, Katsura stayed firm in his answer.

'No. I mean, there were a few deaths…My grandparents passed away here, and so did my aunt, but those were coincidental and natural deaths. Not murders.'

'Right. Well, if that is all, we will need a room which we can use to our leisure.'

'Of course. We've no shortage of rooms here. Follow me, I will take you there.'

Katsura lead them up an impressive staircase, and down a wide corridor. The rest of the mansion was as dark as the dining room had been. All rich and sombre colours. The air felt heavy and dusty and the polished floorboards creaked with each step they took. Whatever light managed to make its way past the heavy red velvet curtains which hung on every window was swallowed up by the dark corners and dense shadows. Eventually, Katsura stopped and opened a door, signalling for them to come in.

'I hope you will find that this room is to your liking. We made sure to choose the best one! It has an en-suite also, and we have made sure to include fresh towels, and a few refreshments on the side table there. I'll let you settle in, and will make sure to call for you when lunch is ready.'

With that, he walked away, leaving Natsu and Mai to deal with the awkward situation he had unknowingly put them in.

'Ah…'

Mai swallowed, feeling herself turn a lovely shade of deep red that matched the curtains perfectly, as her mind took her way further than she wanted. The room, although spacious, only had one bed. A queen sized bed in fact. Apparently, their hosts weren't made aware of her relationship with Naru.

'It's fine. We will use this as our base. I'm sure they can spare another room.'

'Another…Where will you sleep?!'

Naru turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.

'In the other room I just mentioned.'

'But wher-'

'Your sleeping arrangements are your concern, not mine.'

_Ever so the gentleman_. He was sure that was the remark which was going through Mai's head right now. He couldn't help himself. He wasn't the affectionate type, and she knew that better than anyone. Instead, he teased her a little more vigorously than everyone else, knowing that she would appreciate the effort. His thoughts came to an abrupt stop as he felt the room's temperature drop suddenly. He didn't need his equipment to know that it had dropped to a figure well below zero. As the room darkened gradually, he reached out for Mai's hand, drawing her close to him. Ghosts tended to gravitate towards her, for a reason he had yet to understand, and if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that there was at least one in this very room. Soon, they were enveloped in impenetrable darkness.

'Naru…? What's happening?'

'Shh.'

Mai felt her heartbeat increase, and her hair stand on end. There was definitely something in the room with them.

Out of the stone cold silence, a hollow tapping sound echoed, as if someone was hitting a desk repeatedly with an object. Naru squinted, trying to make something out, but the darkness had drowned everything in its wake. After a few seconds, the echoes changed. This time, splattering sounds resounded in quick succession across the room. Mai screamed as she felt droplets of an unknown substance hitting her arms, face and chest, burning her skin upon contact. The overwhelming scent of iron gave her an idea of what it could be. Before she could react, she felt a force slice through her - her legs gave way, and her consciousness slipped away. Naru caught her before she fell to the floor, relieved to notice that the temperature was rising, and the darkness lifting. He picked Mai up effortlessly, and gently lay her on the bed, brushing her hair to one side, away from her face. She was out cold. Whatever it was that was haunting this mansion certainly knew how to make itself known. He would have to call for backup. Taking his phone out, Naru dialled Monk's number.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Feeling her phone buzz in her skirt pocket, Haruka dug it out, and looked at the caller ID. She felt her face automatically break into a smile. It wasn't often that she got to talk to her these days.

'Hi Mom! How are you?'

'Hi sweetie! I'm doing well. What about you, how is University? Are you handling it all ok?'

'Yeah! The work load is increasing but that's nothing I can't handle if I work hard. Plus, the summer classes are really helpful!'

'I'm glad all is going well for you darling.'

'Thanks mom; is everything ok at home?'

'Yes everything is great – I did need to ask you something though…'

'Sure.'

'I was talking to one of my old friends, and she told me that there were…strange things happening at her family home. She sounded very frightened; I couldn't help but mention you and Yakumo…I know you haven't done that kind of thing in a while but she's really very desperate, and I promised I would at least speak with you about it.'

'Mom…I haven't seen Yakumo in a while, he's not even returning my messages, I…I don't know if I'll even be able to get hold of him, let alone convince him to check the place out…'

'Oh? I'm sure he's ok! Don't worry, I understand sweetie…As long as you try, that'll be enough. Anyway, sorry but I have to dash, I'll speak to you very soon! Bye!'

And with that, Keiko hung up. Haruka sighed, thinking back to the last time she had seen Yakumo. It had already been ten days since she had heard from him. It's not like she wasn't used to his frequent disappearances, but those never extended beyond 2 or 3 days. Tucking a stray strand behind her ear, she made her way across the university campus to the Film club. That was her last hope of catching him. Even Gotou hadn't seen him recently, which was what worried her the most. Yakumo had gotten into the habit of visiting Nao very regularly since her father had passed away. Something had to be seriously amiss for him to stop visiting. Resolved to find him, Haruka decided that she would sleep in the Club's small room until he turned up. Pushing the door open, she prayed, somewhat half-heartedly, that he would be on the other side. Only the emptiness and suffocating silence greeted her. Seeing the sofa empty really bothered her. She had never really noticed how dull the room was until now. Everything was dark, lifeless, and most of all, dirty. A thought occurred to her; since she was probably going to spend some time here, she may as well clean up the place. A quick trip to the convenience store, and she was armed with all that she needed to spruce the place up. Though it was hard to admit, the sudden urge to clean was really to take her mind off the possibility that Yakumo may never return.

Right, rubber gloves, check. Disinfectant, check. Bin bags, check. Dusting cloths, check. In her enthusiasm, she had bought more than she needed, but things like that never went to waste anyway. Haruka spent the following 3 hours clearing out, cleaning and rearranging everything. By the time she was done, she was completely worn out. She stretched, arms aching but happy to see that her efforts had paid off. The room felt much more open and clean. No doubt Yakumo would whine about things having being moved about but she didn't care, it was much better this way. Now all that was missing was him. Tired out, she slumped onto the sofa, sliding into the indentation which resulted from Yakumo's numerous naps. Closing her eyes, she let herself drift away.

Her phone's vibrations cut through her sleep. How long had she been out for? Reaching into her pocket to retrieve it, she felt something behind her stir.

'Switch that damn thing off will you. It's a nuisance.'

She jumped. Hearing his voice so close to her ear made her shiver. How long had he been here? Not daring to turn around, she found her phone, put it on silent and tried to calm down. It definitely was Yakumo, but what was he doing so close to her? And where had he been? Needing an answer to those questions, she plucked up the courage to turn around, and found herself facing his chest. Looking up, she saw that his eyes were closed. He grumbled;

'If you're not gonna sleep, move.'

He flinched slightly at the punch Haruka landed on his chest. Looking at her flushed face and angry expression, he sighed. The last person he wanted to give an explanation to was her.

'How can you act like everything is normal? You went _missing _for like….ten days! I called you and called you, left messages…'

'Ugh. This is why women are so bothersome.'

She clambered over him, aiming to get off the sofa, almost tripping in the process. Feeling all of the worry which had slowly built up give way to anger, she shouted;

'How _dare_ you?! How could you just ignore me?! No, you know what, forget me, what about Nao? The poor child was worried sick! Aren't you meant to be looking after her? Is this how you repay Isshin for all of the love and kindness he showed you?!'

Scarcely had this last sentence left her mouth that she covered it up with her hands, knowing that she had gone too far. Isshin had been nothing less than a father to Yakumo, and though he never spoke of it, the latter missed him dearly. Fearing that she had upset him, Haruka's anger faded, and she waited for Yakumo's response.

'I'm sorry.'

Groggily, he sat up. His hair in a mess, he pulled on his crumpled shirt, his gaze averting hers, looking for all the world like a 10 year old. She had never seen him like this.

'Yakumo…'

'You're right. I shouldn't have gone off like that without telling anyone. I have already gone to see Nao, so there is no need to worry about her.'

He knew that his words were taking her by surprise, and so they should. It wasn't in his nature to apologise, but seeing Nao's crying face upon his visit to Gotou's house really had made him realise that he had people who cared about him. Though he had lost his uncle, he had gained friends. He also hoped that his words would distract her from asking where he had been.

'So, what trouble have you brought with you?'

'Huh?'

Still slightly taken aback by his sudden openness, Haruka had completely forgotten about her mother's request.

'You must have had something to ask of me, if you were trying to contact me so desperately.'

'Oh right. Well, no, but yes…'

'Start making sense or go home.'

How she had missed his bluntness.

'My mother's friend asked if we could check out her family home for ghosts. Apparently weird things have been happening there.'

'And naturally, you put my name forward.'

'Not exactly…'

'Whatever, tell her I'll check it out. I do owe your mother a few favours after all.'

'You do?'

'Did you touch my stuff?'

Ah. Finally, he had noticed.

'It's called cleaning. Evidently, you've never heard of it.'

Completely ignoring her insult, he asked;

'Where is this place then? I'd like to get it over and done with as soon as possible; I've sleep to catch up on.'

'I'll ring mom and ask her.'

She took out her phone once more and made the call.

'Hi mom, about that case…Yakumo said he's ok with checking it out.'

'Oh that's great; you got hold of him then!'

'Yeah, thankfully…Could you give us the address?'

'Sure. Are planning on leaving now? I'd better ring her to let her know. I'll text you the address.'

'Okay, thanks mom. Bye!'

人

As they waited for someone to answer the door, Yakumo thought about the situation. Something bothered him slightly. He knew without a doubt that this family was one of the most affluent in Japan. Fingers in every pies, businesses of every nature, they had conquered the industry. Why were they then being so forthright about having problems of a paranormal nature? Frowning, he thought grimly; it must be really bad for them to call on outside help. Perhaps they chose to have him check the place over because of his average status, though a family like this could easily have called a celebrity medium like Masako Hara. Still, wasn't it Haruka's mother who made the link? Ah, who cared, he was going to find out the gravity of the situation soon anyway. There was no point in bothering with the finer details just yet.

'Oh hello, you must be Yakumo and Haruka, right? Come right in!'

The redheaded woman smiled as she ushered both of them into the impressive mansion, speaking in low tones, as if she wanted to keep their arrival a secret.

'My name is Sera, pleased to meet you both. I'll show you to y-'

'Sera? Who are these people?'

Obviously unnerved at having being caught, Sera gestured for the nearby butler to take care of the two guests before turning around to face the man who had called out to her.

'What?'

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her into a nearby room, and exclaimed;

'Are you going to tell me who they are?'

'That's none of your damn business.'

'Oh I think it very well is, as the head of the family, I demand-'

'Please. Head of the family? Don't be so quick to put father in his grave. As long as he's alive, you remain the overbearing, insensitive and callous man that you always have been, nothing more. Where were you when I was struggling with a divorce though?! Oh, then you were nowhere to be seen! You pick battles as a coward would!'

Sera could see that Katsura's vein was about to pop. He always had that one vein that would start throbbing whenever he was angry. That's how she always knew when her words were doing the desired damage.

'How dare you.'

'These two people are our guests and you will treat them accordingly. They are here to check the house over for any…abnormalities.'

Taking a step back, Sera's brother fought to keep his anger from overflowing.

'I _already_ called people in to do that. Experts. Now we have an extra two people who needlessly know that we might…This is why you need to consult me before you do anything.'

'Should I also consult you when I take a shit, darling brother?'

Fists clenched, he breathed in, counting to ten before slowly exhaling. Sera had the ability to push every single one of his buttons, even the ones he didn't know he had.

'Do you have any idea how much our reputation, our businesses could suffer from this kind of thing?! If rumours start going around that our family is haunted, or cursed, or hexed, whatever it may be…'

'See, this is where we differ. I put my children's safety above our family's reputation without hesitation. You seem to be the opposite. If we are cursed, don't you think it will have severe repercussions on the children?! Curses don't magically spare children you know!'

He could see his sister's disdain for him clear as day. She had never been able to understand the burden of a whole family's legacy, a whole future, being held above your head like a sword of Damocles, ready to strike down at any time. He had to be ready.

'There's not much we can do now that you've invited them in. We may as well make use of their services. Do you think they will all work together?'

'I don't really care, as long as they get to the bottom of all this.'

'This?'

'Don't play daft, you know what I mean. I don't think three deaths can occur in one house without leaving some sort of aftermath.'

With that, Katsura watched his sister leave, her words ringing in his ears.

Half an hour later, lunch was served. Given the four guests' attendance, great care had been taken to produce an impressive array of dishes. Mai could scarcely believe her eyes. So much to choose from; her eyes sparkled with impatience.

'You're drooling.'

Not even Naru's attempt to rattle her could take her away from the gastronomical euphoria she was experiencing. Still, she was able to take her eyes away from the table long enough to notice that Naru had fixated on someone sitting across from him. A young man, with dark, moppy hair, green eyes, and a fairly surly expression; one that resembled Naru's a great deal actually. Why he was so concerned with him, she wasn't sure.

'Are you part of the Hideyoshi family?'

Though he already knew the answer to that question, Naru asked it anyway. He watched as the man put down his fork, chewed his way through the crab meat he had chosen, before looking directly at him.

'I don't see why you're asking. After all, you already know what I'm going to say.'

'Then who are you?'

'Yakumo Saitou.'

It was clear that he didn't want to provide Naru with any more information than necessary. Before the latter could pursue his line of questioning, Mai, her mouth full, jumped in.

'Ah! I think I've hear of you! Aren't you that…psycho detective person?!'

On his right, Yakumo saw Haruka's shoulders shake in silent laughter. Not deigning to pick up on the mistake that girl had made, he carried on with his lunch. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Haruka piped up.

'Hi! Pleased to meet you both; my name is Haruka Ozawa. Yakumo and I are here to help the family with…an issue they're having.'

'Oh! Haruka! What a pretty name! Mine is Mai Taniyama, this is Naru Shibuya; we're actually here for the same reason, I hope we can work together!'

Casting a glance to her left, Mai checked Naru's reaction to what she had just said. She didn't much see the point of having two different teams working on the same thing. They may as well team up and help one another.

'Unlike these two interesting specimens sitting across from us, Mai, we are professionals from an actual agency. They are…well…the word _amateurs_ springs to mind.'

Haruka could not believe what that insufferable man had just termed them; specimen? Amateurs?! Well, he clearly had a pole stuck up there somewhere; though lucky for her, it was nothing which couldn't be fixed by an amateur's foot being shoved up his –

'WHO LET THESE STRANGERS INTO MY HOME?!'

The table froze. Silence fell. All eyes were on the man who had just walked in. His greying hair slicked back, dark eyes ablaze, he looked absolutely furious.

'_Sera_!'

Akin to a frightened soldier, Sera stood up, back straight, hands at her side, not daring to look at him.

'Did you let them in? You did, didn't you? Of course you did. This is why I despise women, this is wh-'

'Father.'

Katsura, who had also stood up, looked at the man almost defiantly.

'Sera had nothing to do with this. I'm the one who called them.'

'You better explain yourself quickly, boy.'

'Father, I'm sure you've noticed it too. This house, there's something here, something abnormal. Between things going missing, the whispers, the lights going off…Even you, father…'

'What's that about me, boy?'

'Well, you haven't really been yourself lately, and-'

'I have heard enough. Get these _charlatans_ out of my house. I will hear no more of this stupidity.'

With that, the head of the family left the room, leaving behind him shocked faces. Sera was the first to speak.

'Sorry you had to see that. Our father isn't normally like this…It's like this house has made him angry. I don't understand what happened to him, he was the sweetest, kindest man, I…'

Haruka could see that her bright blue eyes were brimming; she was fighting tears. Without thinking, she left her chair, and went to comfort her. With one arm around the woman's shoulders, she handed her a napkin.

'Don't worry, it will be alright. We will fix whatever awful thing has befallen your family. I promise.'

Yakumo didn't much like it when Haruka made promises in both of their names, but he admired her ability to sympathise so readily with people. She really was a stupidly kind soul.

When all had finished their lunch, the table was cleared, and everyone was invited on a tour of the house. Sera had recovered, and was now animatedly talking about the house's history. Naru watched her, without really paying much attention to what she was saying. The father, whose name he had learnt was Katsurou, had really grabbed his attention. More specifically, it was the look in his eyes which had piqued his interest. He had seen that same look before. He was almost certain that some horrid tragedy must have tainted that man. Perhaps a tragedy which had happened in this very mansion, connected to the three deaths he had read about. All this was mostly conjecture of course, but his gut was never wrong. That Yakumo and his pretty sidekick were not going to get a chance to investigate. He would close this case in less than two days; he could feel it.

_Thud_

Sera, who had just opened her father's study, fell to the ground.

Mai, who had been directly behind her, fell to her knees, calling out her name and tapping her pale cheeks slightly. Meanwhile, Yakumo stepped over both of them in order to see what had cause such a reaction. He stopped dead in his tracks. Haruka helped Mai roll Sera onto her side, as Naru joined Yakumo.

Both men stood, surveying the scene that lay before them. Yakumo removed his contact, checking for any ghosts, but saw nothing other than the grizzly view. Naru, who had watched him silently, said;

'So, you can see them then?'

Yakumo nodded silently, before asking;

'In any case, whoever did this is no longer here.'

'Well of course not. Who stays at the scene of their own crime?'

'You would be surprised.'

The butler and several other employees arrived, carrying Sera away to her room. Haruka stood up, and pushed both men aside, wanting to see what all the commotion was about. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

Dozens of savage, jagged gashes littered Katsurou's body. The poor man was still sat at his desk, his chair having been turned around to face the door, as if to surprise the first person that walked in. His arms, limp, dangled on either side of his body, and his legs were stretched out. Bizarrely enough, the wounds were only located on his chest and legs. Streaks of his blood had been drawn all over the walls, furniture and even ceiling, though none appeared to spell out anything. The horrific scene begged the question, who hated the man enough to inflict such pain and barbaric damage? Was the culprit even human?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Pacing around his room, Naru thought about what he had just seen. The family was grieving now, which meant that asking questions would be seen as quite unsavoury. Having said that, he needed to start investigating as soon as possible; the longer he waited, the colder the trail would get. One thing was certain. The murder had been carried out by a human hand. Whether said hand had been controlled by a malevolent spirit, that was another matter altogether. Stopping in front of the big bay window, he decided on the best course of action. In order to determine who the culprit was, he would have to find out what possible motives there could be for killing the man. Unfortunately, men of Katsurou's wealth and status were very popular targets, which would make the task fairly bothersome. Still, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

'Naru.'

Lin walked in, as prim as ever, carrying some of the equipment they used on their cases.

'Lin, good to see you. Set everything here, there should be enough space. I'll go get the rest of the stuff.'

'It's fine, everyone has taken some up.'

Scarcely had he finished that sentence that Monk, Ayako and John all entered, chatting animatedly.

'No, I'm pretty sure that my pineapple would kick your durian's butt.'

'Pah, durians have _spikes_. You can't approach it without getting impaled, therefore, I win.'

Monk looked at Ayako triumphantly, basking in the glory that his logical argument had brought about. John's voice piped up.

'I still don't understand what any of this is about.'

'Well, we were just thinking about which fruit would win if they were sentient and could fight. My choice is obviously the answer. It has spikes, for crying out loud. Ayako's just has a funky haircut…top…thing.'

'And yours is made up.'

'Hah, sore loser are we?'

'No, because I haven't lost, because your fruit isn't _real_.'

'Yes it is.'

'No it isn't.'

'Is.'

'Isn't.'

'If you two don't stop this incessant bickering I will throw you out of this room permanently.'

'Ahh Naru! I see you haven't changed! How's Mai doing? Where is she? I haven't seen her in such a long time!'

'It's only been a month, Monk.'

'Ah yes, but she's such a cutie, if I don't see her every week a part of me just dies inside.'

This last statement was accompanied by an exaggerated gesture, for comical effect. Not wanting to encourage the man's ridiculous behaviour any further, Ayako carried the conversation away from its current direction.

'So, what are we dealing with here exactly?'

All eyes turned to Naru, as he began to concisely summarise the events which had occurred so far.

'The only thing we haven't yet determined is what kind of paranormal activity is going on in this house. There's definitely something here, but at this stage it's difficult to tell whether the murder had anything to do with it.'

'Well I haven't seen any ghosts.'

Hearing him speak, Masako looked up at the man whom she had just entered the room with. His air of authority, piercing eyes and commanding tone made her knees weak. It had been incredibly difficult to get over Naru, but she had finally managed it. Now however, she felt herself falling yet again, only this time, she would make sure that nothing stood in her way. Mai may have captured Naru's interest, but this man was going to have eyes only for her. How fortunate it was that she had brought along some of her best kimonos. There was definitely going to be a need for them. Urging herself to remain calm and composed, she elegantly rested her hand on his arm, whilst announcing;

'Everyone, this is Yakumo. I happened to bump into him whilst on my way here. He is also a guest of our hosts, and I would like to think that you can all join me in giving him a warm welc-'

'Yakumo! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!'

Haruka, who had all but stumbled into the room, stopped dead in her tracks. A short, traditionally dressed woman was holding onto Yakumo's arm, looking all the world like she had claimed him. That wasn't what bothered her however. Rather, it was seeing Masako's head twisting around sharply almost to a full 360 degrees when she heard Haruka's voice, in order to look at her. Terrified, the latter could do nothing but stare back, hoping to God that this thing was indeed an actual person, and not a malevolent spirit with an intent to kill.

'Who are you?'

'Me? My name is Haruka, I'm Yakumo's….'

'Partner. She's my partner. Now if you don't mind, I have things that need sorting out. I trust I will see you later.'

Yakumo extricated himself from Masako's grasp. His response to Masako's enquiry left Haruka slightly flushed, if not somewhat smug. She knew better than to think anything of it, but moments like these came so rarely that she felt it would be a pity not to indulge in them. The little woman was left speechless, murderous fire burning in her eyes. Haruka was certain that if she had been able to shoot lasers out of her eyes, she would be very much in a state of death right now. Thankfully, that didn't appear to be so.

'Excuse me…'

All nine of them turned around to face the old man who had just called out to them. He stood at the doorway, holding a tray of white, fluffy towels embroidered with tasteful flowers. His hair was the only clue as to his age, the rest of him seemed quite robust.

'I beg your pardon…I bring fresh towels.'

'Oh thank you! Let me get them!'

Mai walked towards the man, yearning to feel the softness of those towels. They looked so inviting, she may just shower for the sake of-

'Miss. You have to listen to me very carefully. It's not safe here. Go home. Tell your friends to leave. Please. Leave. The curse is too strong for anyone to fight it. You have to leave! Before… you too end up dead.

Mai's wrist was starting to hurt. The sheer force with which he held onto it made her question how long she would have until her hand popped off. His eyes wide, she could see that he was terrified. He continued, whispering somewhat hoarsely.

'The deaths aren't what they say. Please. Leave whilst you still can.'

With that, he let go of her, and briskly left, having left the towels on the floor. Monk was the first to break the silence.

'I guess we have our first lead?'

'What, you think he's the killer?'

'No, Ayako, I'm saying it's obvious that we need to start looking into those deaths.'

'So you believe what he said then?'

'Given that we have no solid lead apart from this one, it would be dense not to follow it. Having said that, it would also be quite useful to look into the family's history. There might be clues there as to who might have murdered Katsurou. The cameras and so on also need to be installed.'

Ayako shot Naru a dirty look in return for the thinly veiled insult.

'I'll look into the deaths. I've a few friends in the law enforcement sector, I'm sure I could pull some strings.'

Naru considered Yakumo's proposal. Though he really did not want to admit it, extra help would be useful. The case was clearly going to be a big one, and he wouldn't be able to cover all aspects efficiently enough. Well, he could, but it would take him an extensive amount of time.

'Fine. I will look into the family history. Masako, why don't you go with Ayako and help Lin with the setting up of the equipment. Mai, Monk, John and girl, investigate the house, see if you can find anything helpful.'

'My name is Haruka.'

She really, _really_ did not like this man.

'Come on, let's go investigate, it'll be fun! It's such a big old house, we'll probably find trapdoors and stuff!'

Mai's enthusiasm pushed Naru's rudeness to the back of her mind, and soon she was laughing along with Mai at the prospect of finding a secret passage which led to some sort of legendary treasure. Once the introductions were over with, she set off with Monk, John and Mai in search for any clues which could further their investigation.

人

'I feel like we've been walking for hours!'

Mai's enthusiasm had quickly given way to weariness when it emerged that the Hideyoshi family home was as normal as it got. The décor was drab and suffocating, but other than that, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Monk was getting tired of walking down endless, identical corridors, all with the same dusty curtains, dark wooden furniture and creepy paintings. The rooms were also all normal, thankfully, most of them were not occupied. He dreaded to think of the awkward situation that would ensue, should they barge into one of their hosts' rooms whilst they were in there. Having said that, they were all away, kept busy with their father's all too recent death. As they neared the end of yet another corridor, a voice filtered out from a door that was left ajar. He motioned for the others to stop.

'Yeah…I know, don't worry. Of course. Mhmm…Well, no not yet but…No, what I'm trying to say is…Right…I don't know how long it'll take for the formalities to kick in… Exactly. Yeah. Finally, people will have to start listening to me around here. Right. No problem, I'll speak to you later. Bye.'

Monk turned to the others. By the looks on their faces, they were thinking the same thing as he was. Either the conversation they just heard was incredibly coincidental, or they may just have stumbled upon the murderer.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

'Hang on. You're telling me that he murdered him? To get ownership of the family businesses?'

Everyone had once more congregated in Naru's room, which seemed to have become the group's established headquarters, save for Yakumo who was still out looking into the deaths. Ayako's question was on everyone's minds. Was Katsura really capable of murder? He obviously cared about his family's standing, and liked to be authoritative but…murder? Though she had heard it with her own ears, Mai was doubtful. Sure, it made sense in theory. But he just didn't strike her as that type of man. Naru had many times before instructed her to trust her own intuition, but it was so much easier to just trust the evidence and logic.

'Mai? What's bugging you?'

Naru knew. He knew Mai was having one of those I-don't-agree-with-this moments. Over the years they had investigated together, he'd come to pay special attention to those as more often than not, her instincts turned out to be right. He found that he still had to nudge her once a while, before she made her opinion known. He watched her as she bit her lip, conscious of how unfounded her response to his question was going to sound to the rest of the room.

'I just…It doesn't fit. Katsura is a nice man. A bit over enthusiastic but…he's not a killer.'

Masako was the first to pick out the flaws in her statement.

'Right. So, you're just guessing? I mean, we've only been here for half a day. How could you possibly know anything about him?'

'I'm not saying I'm right. I just don't think we should be so quick to label him a murderer.'

'I agree. The conversation was pretty incriminating it seemed but…We did not hear the other side of that conversation, or know the context.'

'I don't think a context is needed, Monk. And why wasn't he with the rest of the family? Why did he stay behind? If that doesn't point to a guilty conscience, I don't know what does.' Masako ended her claim with a soft tap of her foot, as if to cement it.

Ayoko, who had been silent up until now, spoke up.

'Who says the murder isn't linked to the weird shit happening in this house? That would certainly not be the first time a murder has happened as the result of a spurned spirit.'

'Well. In any case, we have been called in to solve the paranormal aspects of this case. If the murder of Katsurou is part of it, we will soon find out. If not, then it is the police's job to hunt down the murderer, not ours. Unless they pay us to do so, then it becomes a completely different matter. However, I doubt it will come to this. We would do better to concentrate on finding out what is causing all the abnormal phenomena in the house.'

Clearly, Naru was the group leader. Haruka watched as his declaration put the theorizing to rest and dissolved the tension. Ayako, Masako, Monk and John all retired to their rooms, skipping dinner, tired out from the traveling and that afternoon's events. Mai, Haruka and Naru stayed behind.

'I'm going to continue looking for information about the history of the house. Either make yourselves useful or go entertain yourselves elsewhere.'

'Hey Haru? Is it okay if I call you Haru? Short and sweet right?'

'She makes a habit of shortening people's names.'

Despite herself, Haruka smiled at Mai's candour. Though she knew Mai was a few years younger than her, Mai wasn't letting this stop her from treating Haruka very familiarly. Not that she minded. What with being with Yakumo so often, Haruka didn't really get much opportunity to bond with other girls. As this thought crossed her head, she realised how much of a pathetic shut in Yakumo had turned her into.

'I thought it might be useful to look through old articles and see what information we can find. Perhaps we can piece some things together.'

Mai reached over to the desk where Naru had sat himself down, and was deeply immersed in a website he had found dedicated to the house's architecture. She grabbed her laptop from it, and offered it to Haruka.

'Ah no it's okay, I don't want to-'

'Don't worry, this one's a spare one which Naru insists on carrying around. Let me grab mine from my bag.'

'If I didn't insist, we would be one laptop short now, wouldn't we?'

Haruka watched as Mai stuck her tongue out at Naru, amused by her juvenile response. Over the next hour or so, they all sat in relative silence, looking through website after website, article after article, in the hope of finding something useful. Mai had chosen to sit on the floor, whilst Haruka had chosen the comfort of the huge bed.

'_The mansion was actually built in the 1900s. Jasper Harrington was especially flown in from England to take over the project. He designed the building, drawing much of his inspiration from the popular Edwardian style which was all the rage in London at the time, whilst blending in some more traditional Japanese architecture. This is why the Hideyoshi mansion stands out so much. Its style is quite unique. The…_'

Naru exited the page, getting increasingly irritated. There had to be something. There always was. Gadgets and technology were all good, but finding the relevant background information was absolutely crucial in putting together the pieces of the puzzle. In every case he had ever solved, the only way he was able to put two and two together was because he had that information at his disposal. Why was it so hard to find something? He'd already done some preliminary research when he accepted the case, which had yielded some interesting results, but still. There had to be more. He glanced towards the girls, who they themselves were concentrating on their own search. Just as he was about to turn back around, Haruka called out;

'Oh! I think I have something interesting!'

Mai immediately stood up and rushed over to Haruka, whilst the latter read aloud the passage of importance.

'_Alongside the deaths, it was discovered that a fire had broken out in a small property near the main building. It appears that one of the deaths was a result of said fire. Though the police refuses to disclose any further details on the matter, it would seem that one of those deaths may not have been accidental_.'

All eyebrows in the rooms arched upon hearing this new piece of information. So far, all of the articles which Naru had read lumped all three deaths together. This was the first he was hearing of a fire. Excited at the new development, he walked over to Haruka's borrowed laptop and wordlessly picked it up. He needed to print this off and study the entire thing in more detail.

'A thank you would be nice?'

'No.'

'What?'

'This hasn't proved to be useful yet. When it does, I shall thank you.'

Miffed, Haruka could do nothing but stare at her crossed legs, silently wishing a big shiny anvil would come crashing down on him, like they do in cartoons. Encouraged, Mai continued searching with renewed vigour, and was soon rewarded with another piece of information.

'Guys, listen to this! Apparently, there was _another_ death, just after the three! The then head of the house's wife passed away. It says she suddenly got very sick and frail. Eventually her health deteriorated beyond help and she passed.'

'That may not have anything to do with what happened before.'

'Maybe not, but it's something which we didn't know.'

'True. Okay. So, taking everything into account, what do we know so far?'

Naru watched as he received blank stares. He sighed, and filled in the blank spaces, bringing them up to speed on what his own research had also led him to.

'Around the 1950s, the head, his daughter and her husband all die. The head of the house's wife passes away due to poor health soon after. A fire also occurs, possibly being the reason for the death of one of them, though we do not yet know which, leaving behind the daughter's son, who is…the late Katsurou.'

He was satisfied to see that this left both women with their mouths slightly ajar. Mai was the first to speak.

'If only we had found out about all this earlier! We could have asked him…'

Haruka thought about their next course of action.

'Do you reckon any of the family members know? It's worth a shot, right?'

'I think they would already have mentioned it if they knew what had happened.'

'What about the butler? He clearly knows more than he's letting on; he talked about a curse, didn't he?'

Naru sat in silence, thinking back to the butler's words, his desperate warning. Though it had sounded much like the ramblings of a mad man, he seemed to be in good health. A curse? Whose? And why? So many loose ends were being uncovered, but he wasn't sure how they all connected. Well, the butler seemed to be their best bet for now.

'We should find the butler and get as much information as we can. I agree with Haruka, he knows more than he told us. He might even be able to tell us more about that fire.'

Scarcely had he finished that sentence that vibrations could be felt in the air. All three froze, feeling the temperature of the room rise.

'Again?!'

Mai hurriedly clambered onto the bed, hoping to God that she wouldn't faint again. Haruka, unsure of how to react, sat still, as the temperature continued to rise, until the heat was almost unbearable. She made as if to move, but found that she couldn't. Her legs felt heavier than lead, and her head felt as if it were filled with thick, suffocating smoke. She just about managed to look to her right where Mai sat, just in time to see the latter fall backwards, unconscious.

_Fire. It surrounded her. The savage, aggressive flames lapped at her, inching closer with each passing second, ready to consume her. Looking around, she saw the house in which she had spent the happiest years of her life collapse. Everything had been taken over by the destructive flames; the only thing left standing was her. The blistering heat scorched her skin, the ash and smoke filled her lungs, and yet she inhaled, welcoming her imminent demise. The past 4 years had been an absolute heart wrenching torment. But today, she had regained control over her life and her death. No more would _he_ interfere. She was finally going to be able to escape the hell that _he_ had so cold heartedly constructed for her, and once more join those who had always been more dear to her than life itself. As the fire's tendrils danced around her, with her, she smiled, relieved to finally find an end to the nightmare. She closed her eyes, as a distant voice called out to her._

_'__No! No! She's alive! Please….alive!'_

_As the words sunk in, the peace she had felt until now was shattered and replaced by a desperate horror whose cold, steel claws dug into her with unrestrained force. It was too late. Too late._

Mai, enveloped in darkness, could feel tears streaming down her face, and before long, was unable to control the sobbing which wracked her body. Completely exhausted, she could do nothing but simply lay there, unmoving, drained of all but the emotions experienced in her vision, which still felt far too vivid. The blisters which had resulted from the flames' heat still seemed to clung to her.

Haruka watched Mai, wide eyed, unable to process what she had seen. As she laid there, unconscious, Mai had started to sweat, her skin had started to fizzle slightly and blisters had appeared on her arms. As soon as the tears had started rolling down her cheeks, Naru had climbed onto the bed, sat next to her and cradled her head gently, wiping the tears away with his thumbs, as each sob escaped from her more violently than the last. Haruka, unable to understand what was happening, held back her own tears. Though the situation did not make much sense to her, she could feel the palpable sadness which seemed to have taken Mai over. At length, noticing Haruka's confusion, Naru felt it necessary to explain.

'Astral projection.'

Haruka blinked back her tears, trying to understand the significance behind the words.

'Basically put, her astral body separates from her physical body, letting her experience spirits' memories. Usually, they'll be very strong memories which can end up helping the case along.'

'But…the blisters…?'

So far, the only emotions Haruka had seen on Naru's face had been varying degrees of annoyance. This was the first time she saw him worried. The fine lines under his eyes betrayed his composure, and when he spoke, she could tell he had difficulty in controlling the strain in his voice.

'Mai has always had an affinity with spirits. It seems that the more contact she has with them, the more this affinity develops. This is the first time I have seen her physical body really be affected by one of her visions. It seems that part of her physical body goes with her now.'

Haruka didn't need anyone to explain to her why he worried. If Mai's visions were starting to affect her physically…There was no telling what would happen if she were gravely injured. Their conversation was cut short when Mai's sobbing subsided, and she began to stir, wincing when the pain from the blisters made itself known. Naru, anxious, gently instructed her not to move, and asked for Haruka to get Lin, who had experience with treating wounds and such. The hospital was too far away, and Mai did not have any energy left. Besides, it would be a difficult situation to explain, and there was no time to start planning out a credible story. Mai's ability to connect with spirits was really starting to become worrisome. He'd known that there would be a possibility of her physical body starting to drift back along with her astral one, but he never thought she would get to that stage so quickly. He assumed he had more time. If anything were to happen to her…Shaking his head, he inhaled sharply, refusing to go down that train of thought. Now was not the time.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The night had settled, bringing with it a cool breeze, which was a relief from the thick and heavy heat which had been clinging around the house all day. Naru opened the big bay windows, letting in the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass emanating from the front gardens which the room faced. Given that the mansion was built on raised grounds, the city lights could be seen in the distance, glimmering brightly. Looking out, he sighed, as worry still gnawed away at him. He had to find a way to protect Mai from the inevitable danger she was hurtling towards. If not for him, she would never have been exposed to the supernatural in such a big way, and her abilities would probably have remained dormant. He glanced over at the bed where she lay. Lin finished bandaging the painful blisters, having applied a thick ointment beforehand. Haruka stood watching, visibly mesmerised by Lin's deft hand movements. Though the man had never uttered a word to her, she could tell he was a kind soul. Naru seemed to be a little on the mean side, but he had a soft quality about him. She found herself wanting to talk to him, but every time she made her mind up to do so, she found herself at a loss. What could she say? Hi? How do you know so much about first aid? Any suggestions she came up with sounded incredibly silly to her. In the end, she contended herself by watching silently. Once he was done, Lin gathered all of his equipment, nodding in Naru's direction and throwing Mai a small smile. He knew the look on Naru's face well, and could tell that he would pick his brain about Mai's recent ordeal later on. Right now though, what she needed was rest. She had essentially been half projected into the past, and this kind of ordeal drained the body of most of its energy. Walking around the big bed, he looked at the woman standing anxiously to the side. He didn't know much about her, but she seemed nice enough.

'She needs rest.'

He saw her expression change into one of surprise. Seeing as he had barely said a word to her until now, this was to be expected. Her bright smile however, was not. Lin was so used to being seen as Naru's shadow that he no longer awaited for people to notice him.

'Shall I help you with that?'

Still smiling, she reached out and took the small case of bandages which he had tucked under his arm, not giving him enough time to refuse. With that, she headed towards the door, looking back to make sure he was following. Once out into the hallway, she looked at him expectantly. A little anxious, Lin gestured for her to carry on to her right, his mouth too dry to say anything. He wasn't much good with strangers, particularly not when they were so nice.

Haruka carried on walking straight, wondering whether the man was going to say something anytime soon. He seemed a little uneasy; she could see that social situations were not his strong point. Smiling to herself, she decided to help him out a little.

'So, are you also part of Naru's company?'

She waited for a response. After a short, but awkward silence, one came.

'Yes. I help him out with his cases.'

His voice sounded cold and clipped to his own self. There was a nice, charming woman who was conversing with him out of choice, and he couldn't stop himself from sounding like a robot.

'Oh, have you had many cases in the past?'

She genuinely sounded interested. A little encouraged by this, Lin carried the conversation forward, explaining the various cases he had helped with. They became so engrossed in their exchange that they almost missed his room. Once there, Haruka stretched out her free hand, which Lin grabbed and shook, quite pleased with himself. Given his interests and line of work, it wasn't often that he could meet people, let alone sustain their interest.

'Haruka, was it? Nice to meet you. I hope we can carry on this conversation some other time.'

'That would be great! My room is just upstairs, second door on the right from the staircase. Knock when you feel like having a chat!'

Hoping that didn't sound inappropriate, she handed him the box of bandages before heading in the direction they had come, past Naru's room and towards the staircase. Just as her foot connected with the first step, a bright flash of red caught her eye, and she turned sharply around. Seeing nothing but the usual dusty red curtains and antique wall lamps, she carried on up the staircase. Having reached the top, she once more saw a quick flash of red from the corner of her eye. She whirled around, her heel on the edge of the top step, and promptly lost her footing. With a short scream, she fell backwards into the void, and went tumbling down. Naru, hearing a crash, ran out of his room, only to see Haruka sprawled onto the hard wooden floor to his left, a little way along. He hurried to her side, relieved to see that she was okay, save for a few bumps and bruises.

'Be more careful next time. I don't want your boyfriend to hold me responsible for any harm which befalls you.'

She threw him a dirty look, nonetheless accepting the hand he offered. Once he knew that she was safe in her room, Naru returned to Mai. He found her sitting up, waiting for him to return. He could see that her ordeal had taken a small toll on her, but she was resilient. She would recover quickly, as long as she got the rest that she needed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Naru could barely repress a yawn. Mai could see that he was tired. Night had well and truly settled in, he must be exhausted. She patted the empty space next to her, motioning for him to at least sit properly. For once, he did as she asked, kicking off his shoes and plonking himself next to her, leaning his head against the giant wooden headboard. She watched as his eyes closed, his dark and long eyelashes contrasting handsomely against his pale skin. It was unbelievable how perfectly he resembled Eugene. Or how Eugene resembled him…She wasn't too sure which it was. How can two people be so strikingly similar on the outside, and yet so similar on the inside? Naru's eyes flew open, startling Mai out of her thoughts.

'What did you see?'

It took a moment for her to realise that he was talking about the vision she had.

'Maybe we should discuss it in the morning…You look really tired.'

'I'm fine. If you're too tired to talk about it though, I understand.'

'No…I'm…Okay well, I was in the body of this woman…I couldn't see myself so I don't know who she was or what she looked like but…When I…I mean she…'

Mai was finding it incredibly difficult to put into words the medley of emotions she experienced through the woman's being.

'I think this woman was burdened, and carrying an incredibly heavy amount of sadness. It felt like…like lead. Sadness, and a burning anger and need for revenge. I don't know what happened to her, but something in her past spun her life out of control. She – I – kept thinking of a man. He was responsible for that. I don't know who though. '

'You have no idea what happened?'

'No. In the vision I was in a house…it was burning…I think she set the house on fire, intending to burn along with it. Something about…finally being free or something. Oh, and someone was calling out to her from outside. I couldn't grasp what they were saying fully; something about someone being alive. As soon as she heard that, the woman just…It's like her desire to perish suddenly vanished, like what he said suddenly changed her mind. By that time it was too late though…'

Mai could feel her eyes brimming with tears as she remembered the desperate agony which had replaced the soothing peace which the woman had found in death. In the end, she had died a painful and wretched death. All at once, Mai was overtaken by an ironclad sense of resolution. She would find out what had happened to this poor woman and make it right. No human being should ever have to feel this way, like death is their only way out. Like extinguishing their life is preferable to living on. She felt Naru's gaze on her, and wiped her tears away carefully with a bandaged hand.

'Right. So, from this I can deduce that firstly, out of the three deaths, there definitely was one which occurred in that fire, and that it was a suicide. Secondly that person must be the head of the family's daughter, seeing as she was the only woman to die that day. Thirdly, a man in this woman's life brought her misfortune. Now, what we need to figure out is who that man is, and what he did. I think the best way to push forward is to concentrate on her though. Hopefully the death reports will give us some more information.'

Mai nodded in agreement. One thing still troubled her though…

'Naru…How come I ended up with blisters? I'm not really transported back into the past so I don't really understand why I got these.'

The trouble look which flitted across his face told Mai all she needed to know. If Naru was worried, then clearly, something bad was happening to her. It took her all of 30 seconds to put two and two together. She felt panic well up inside of her at the thought of all of the possible dangers which she could be exposed to. What if she had stayed in that vision? Would her body really have burned completely? Would she have died?

'Just rest. Don't worry about this; I'll sort it out. I'm sure there's a very simple solution to it.'

Though she knew better than to trust his words, she closed her eyes, too tired to think through the horrifying consequences of being open to spirits' memories in such a real, physical way.

Scarcely had Mai fallen asleep that Naru left the room, and headed towards Lin's. Though it was quite late, he knew that Lin was a late sleeper. Having knocked, Naru ran a hand through his hair, feeling uncharacteristically agitated. Ever since he had found out about Mai's growing affinity, his normally cool and collected composure had started to crack, revealing a much more flustered side to Naru underneath. Lin answered the door, just as expected.

'You're worried about Mai.'

This wasn't a question, but a statement.

Not bothering to reply, Naru pushed past his friend, unable to keep still.

'I warned you this was going to happen.'

'Yes but I didn't think it would happen so fast, I thought I still had ample time left to figure something out.'

'I'll admit, I didn't think she would develop so rapidly either.'

Naru, who had been pacing the room turned to Lin, an idea having sparked in his mind.

'Can't you create a charm to keep spirits away from her? At least until I figure a more permanent solution?'

'I've already thought of that. The problem is that Mai's ability has grown too strong. Her affinity to the spirits can't be cancelled or deflected with a simple charm. It would have to be something much more powerful but…this will ultimately damage her. It's not a good idea.'

Lin watched as Naru's brows furrowed. He really had never seen him like this. Sighing, he put forward the only idea he had.

'Look. There is a…charm, which I can make. It will take a few days but if done right, it will ground her physical body completely to this earthly plane, allowing for her to visit any other spiritual plane she might like, without risking her life.'

'Then that's it!'

Lin held up his hand, not wanting Naru to get too excited too quickly.

'Wait. There are a few drawbacks to this. Assuming I can do it, I will need something from you.'

'What?'

'A part of your power.'

'What?'

'Mai needs something which will keep her grounded here. It needs to be something with a lot of power, and of a fairly big sentimental value. If this were any other person, such a thing would be almost impossible to find, but Mai has you.'

'So you need some of my power?'

'Yes. A part of it. It won't harm you, but it does mean that when you use it, it will not be as…bright. It'll feel like you have lost a small piece of yourself. It's not a pleasant feeling. Once I take it, I can't retrieve it and give it back to you. It's lost forever.'

Lin measured out his words carefully, wanting Naru to think about it thoroughly, even though he could guess what his final decision would be.

'In addition, the charm will only work so long as you stay alive. What Mai is emotionally attached to isn't your power, but you. If you die, the charm loses its power.'

Naru considered this. It all lead back to one question. What choice did he have? If something wasn't done soon, Mai would almost certainly end up dying in one of her visions. They had become too strong and frequent for her to be able to successfully evade them. This was their only option. He just had to make sure he outlived her. Besides, losing a portion of his power would be nothing compared to losing her. As this realisation hit him, his lips set in a grim line, he nodded at Lin.

'Do it. When you need me, just let me know.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. This is a necessity.'

Lin understood. He may never feel what the young man standing in front of him felt for Mai, but he understood. It would take him maybe two days to complete the charm, but once done, Naru would be able to rest easy.

A tinny beeping resounded throughout the room, startling both men. Naru reached for his phone is his pocket, surprised to be receiving a call at this hour.

'Hello?'

'Hi, Naru?'

'Yes?'

'It's Sera; sorry to be calling so late…I just wanted to let you know that we won't be coming home for a while yet. My father's sudden death has left a lot up in the air and…well, there is an awful lot to sort out.'

Naru could feel the strain in her voice. She was trying not to cry.

'Oh, Katsura is with you, no? Has he told you? The police have just finished their investigation at the crime scene…apparently they strongly believed that the wounds were self-inflicted. He said that they told him it was probably suicide. They found the knife matching the wounds near him…and it only had his fingerprints on.'

This time Sera had given in to her tears. She hurriedly excused herself, hanging up before her sobs became too loud. The information she had just given Naru surprised him. He did not expect suicide. Somehow it didn't really fit. Unless…perhaps the house really had brought him to the brink of madness and driven him over the edge. Retelling Sera's account to Lin, he asked the latter for his opinion.

'It's either the house or the scene was set up to look like suicide.'

There were too many options. They were not going to make any progress by concentrating on the murder. Sitting down at the desk which was positioned opposite Lin's double bed, Naru shared Mai's vision with him, hoping to make further sense of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Looking out of her window towards the distant city lights, Haruka thought back to the strange red flashes she had seen earlier on. No matter how much she concentrated, she just couldn't recall exactly what it was that she had seen. Thankfully, her tumble down the stairs hadn't been too bad. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had been pushed down however, and that was the reason for her uneasiness. Still, she was in a house where several deaths had occurred and a spirit – if not more than one – was lingering around. Those kinds of incidents were to be expected. She just hoped that she'd be able to stay relatively unharmed for the duration of her stay. As her thoughts turned to other matters, Haruka noticed a familiar car driving up towards the mansion. Finally, Yakumo had returned! Smoothing her hair down, she hurriedly checked her reflection in the long mirror hanging on a wall beside the wardrobe. Oh God. She giggled as she surveyed her attire; the pink pyjama bottoms and the big rabbit on her white t-shirt didn't exactly scream sexy. Ah, never mind. It wasn't like he took any particular interest in her. There were a few times when she was left guessing as to Yakumo's thoughts but…It always turned out to be an over analysis of some small action or word. In the end, she felt it best to just focus on getting through University. Having said that, she sometimes couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious around him.

Yakumo knocked at her door, waiting for a reply before coming in. He smiled slightly as he approached her, relieved to see that he hadn't woken her. In turn, she smiled back, a little flushed, before speaking up.

'So, did you find anything?'

He scratched his head and sat down on the bed, pulling out a white envelope from his jacket pocket.

'Actually, no. I was able to get hold of the death reports but they're all completely…unremarkable.'

Slightly disappointed, Haruka sat down next to him, glancing at the paper he had taken out of the envelope.

'Natural death…All of them say that?'

'Yes, all three.'

'But…that makes no sense?'

'It's obviously too convenient. It makes it seem like they all just dropped dead. Someone wanted to draw as little attention to these as possible.'

'They're useless then?'

'No. They still tell us that these deaths were very important. It's now a matter of finding out why.'

Sighing, Yakumo stood up, removed his jacket before tossing it on a nearby chair, and placed the envelope as well as its contents on the desk. Haruka watched as he carefully removed the contact he had been wearing all day to conceal his left eye. The vivid red colour would never cease to surprise her. She must have seen his eye a thousand times and yet its strange beauty always caught her breath. It took her several seconds to realise that Yakumo was staring back at her from the mirror's reflection, at which he had stood to remove his contact. Embarrassed, she looked away. She knew full well that he was still very much troubled about his eye. Staring at it wouldn't help.

'What?'

Looking back up at him, she swallowed nervously. His question had come out as a low growl. He looked displeased.

'Nothing.'

'You were staring. What? Do you want me to put it back in?'

He reached for the contact, not waiting for her answer.

'No no, it's not that at all!'

'Then what?'

If silence wouldn't satisfy him, then maybe the truth would.

'I was just thinking that…I can't get used to your eye…'

She hurriedly scrambled for words, realising that her choice of vocabulary was beyond clumsy.

'I mean…I just find it so extraordinary…It hits me every time…How unique it is. It really is special, something I would never in a million years have believed existed and yet…Here it is. Here you are, and I'm so thankful for that.'

Her eyes brimming with tears, she tried to keep the wobble out of her voice as a distant memory of her deceased twin sister sprung to her mind. It was thanks to him that she had been able to even start to come to terms with her death. Though some might think negatively of his eye, she was grateful for it, more than that, she thought it to be a wonderful thing. Unable to control herself, the tears fell freely. She hadn't had a good cry in a while. Perhaps this was overdue. Without warning, Yakumo was suddenly in front of her, his long legs dangling over the side of the bed. A hand placed under her chin, he tilted her face upwards, and she saw a wealth of compassion in his eyes. Compassion and…something else. Before she could say anything, he closed the space between them, and brushed his lips softly against hers. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but to Haruka, it felt like forever. As if time had frozen in place. Everything stood still, and she savoured the moment as much as she could. The feel of his touch, his breathing, his warmth, smell, everything. She knew this moment would be in her mind for years to come. Would he finally admit to harbouring some long felt deep burning passion towards her? Would he ask her out? Not thinking, she wrapped her arms around him, willing her beating heart to calm down. They stayed like this for a while, neither of them moving. Without warning, Yakumo removed her arms, extricating himself from her hold. Soundlessly, he grabbed his jacket, leaving the envelope where it was, and promptly left. Confused, Haruka stood up, unsure as to how to react. She made a start towards the door, deciding to catch up to him and demand an explanation. She then remembered. It was Yakumo. Chasing him would only drive him further away. He was like a wild animal. A wolf. He wouldn't let you near if you ran after him. She sat back down on her bed, sinking into the soft mattress, hoping to God that by tomorrow things would clear up. Hesitantly, she touched her lips, those very same lips which he had touched with his a few moments ago, and consoled herself with the recent memory.

Walking briskly to his room which was a little further along, Yakumo ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself. What an idiot. He'd told himself that he was ready. That his feelings for Haruka were real, and strong. Instead, he ran away, once more haunted by his past. It was forever snapping at his heels, undoing any progress he thought he made. It seemed that no matter what, or who came into his life, the fact that his mother attempted to end his life would always come in between him and whatever semblance of happiness he could find. It wasn't that he still blamed his mother, but he struggled with the idea that someone would willingly want to be with him. Even if that someone had pulled him close and hugged him. Haruka hadn't ran away screaming, or rejected him. Quite the opposite. Then why could he not just let her have him? Why? Angrily, he swung his room's door wide open, threw his coat onto the floor and let himself fall onto his bed. She must think terribly of him just running off like that. He wouldn't be surprised if she refused to talk to him tomorrow. Should he even try? Haruka deserved a normal, functional boyfriend, not a mess of a man. If he were completely honest though, he probably would never be able to handle seeing her with someone else. Well, if he couldn't take responsibility for his own feelings, he had no right to say much on the subject. In any case, he wasn't ready. Turning onto his side, he blinked away the image of Haruka's shocked expression from his mind. Perhaps he was better off alone anyway.

人

The next morning saw all eight of them having breakfast together, exchanging polite conversation around the huge table in the dining room, not yet awake enough to discuss the case. Whilst Naru stayed close to Mai, visibly on edge, Yakumo had purposely chosen to sit away from Haruka. The latter did not dare glance in his direction, feeling far too rejected to have the courage or confidence to do so. Torn between anger and dejection, she picked at the food on the plate with her fork. Her knotted stomach couldn't take more than a few mouthfuls of eggs and toast. Instead, she grabbed the cup of steaming coffee next to her plate and took a sip. Masako, feeling the rift between the two, took this opportunity to start a conversation with Yakumo. Having found an empty seat beside him, she had taken this as a sure sign, and promptly sat. Flashing him with her most charming smile, she asked;

'How are you?'

Her question received no answer other than a brief nod. Determined not to let herself be discouraged, she pushed on.

'How is your stay? Are you enjoying it?'

This time, Yakumo answered with a few words, clearing his throat before doing so.

'Fine. Well. Thank you.'

He was not in the mood for this. Ordinarily, he would have sent her away but he didn't have the energy to think of a smart retort. Instead, he surveyed Haruka, sitting across from him, to the far right. She wasn't eating. Just sipping at her coffee from time to time, looking downright depressed. Willing her to look at him, he hoped he could somehow free himself from the frozen state he was in. For the first time in a long while, he just didn't know what to do. More than that, he cared. He cared about the consequences, about having hurt her feelings. Naru's crisp voice filtered through his thoughts.

'Once everyone is done, please make your way to the base. We've got a few things we have to get through before we carry on with the investigation.'

With that, he stood up and walked out of the dining room. Mai shuffled a few seats over, closing the space between her and Haruka. She'd noticed that her new friend looked completely defeated, and it bugged her.

'Haru! How are you?'

Haruka forced a smile.

'I'm okay, thank you. How are you? I'm glad to see you're feeling better.'

The smile did not fool her. She knew something was up. Lowering her voice, she asked;

'I know you're not okay, what's wrong? Did something happen?'

'No..'

Shaking her head in disbelief, Mai reached out and placed her hand on Haruka's.

'You're a terrible, terrible liar. What's going on?'

'Nothing it's stupid…I…'

Hearing her voice falter, Mai excused them both from the table before walking Haru to her room. Once there, the poor girl made a beeline for the en-suite which all guest rooms had. Giving her the time she needed, Mai leaned against the desk, arms crossed, genuinely worried. Finally, Haruka came out, red eyed. Pulling out the chair from the desk, Mai gestured for her to sit.

'So, what is it? Who did this to you?'

There was a slight hesitation before she answered;

'Yakumo…'

'Oh…Oh, I wasn't expecting that…What happened? Did you guys argue?'

'No not exactly…'

Haruka explained last night's events, as Mai nodded from time to time to let her know that she was listening. Once the account finished, she hoisted herself up onto the desk, letting her legs dangle.

'Hmm…And he hasn't said anything to you yet?'

'Not a word.'

'I'm surprised…I mean, he was acting normal. Well, assuming cold, aloof and anti-social is normal.'

Huruka snorted. She had spent so much time with Yakumo that to her, normal was now exactly what Mai had just described.

'Look; I feel like I can related somewhat…Naru can be…a butthole. I swear sometimes he's…he's a haemorrhoid on _Satan_'s butthole, but it doesn't mean he doesn't care. Maybe it's the same with Yakumo. I've seen the way he looks at you sometimes. I think he cares more than you realise.'

'I think that too sometimes but…then he does stuff like this, which…Leaves me scrambling for an explanation. Who kisses a girl then runs away?!'

'Someone who perhaps hasn't yet come to terms with how they feel?'

Haruka buried her head in her hands, unsure what to think, confused and morose.

'Haru…There's really no use dwelling on this. It surprised you yes, and you want an explanation, but for now Yakumo, for whatever reason, cannot give you that. Although if I'm honest, I'd like to shake one out of him. Anyway, my advice for you is to just breathe, stay calm, and put all this to one side. He'll come to you eventually. If he doesn't, then you'll know that your taste in men is appalling.'

The last sentence was said with a smile. Haruka was suddenly very thankful for the female company. Looking up at Mai, she smiled back. She was taken aback by how mature her advice sounded; she hadn't given her enough credit. Although a few years her junior, this girl must have been through a similar situation to have such an adult like and resolute perspective on the matter.

'Thanks Mai; I think you're right. I can't do much now…'

'Well, you _could_ corner him and confront him, but I don't think that's a very wise idea.'

'No, me neither.'

Whether that was due to wisdom or a lack of backbone, Haruka couldn't tell.

'Come on now, let's go show him what you're made of! Wipe those tears and show me a bright smile!'

Mai hugged her tightly before leaving for the base.

Over the next hour, Naru briefed everyone in precise detail regarding what they had uncovered the previous day, the articles and Mai's vision. In turn, Yakumo spoke up, telling the group what he had told Haruka last night. John, who had barely spoken since he'd gotten here, surprised everyone by joining the conversation.

'I think we're getting somewhere now. We should try to exorcise the spirit here, maybe we'll find out more?'

Ayako spoke up in agreement.

'Yeah, let's have some fun now!'

Naru waited for everyone to quieten down before saying;

'Actually, I think it's too soon for an exorcism. We don't want to anger the spirit, there's no telling what it might do.'

With that, he darted a quick glance towards Mai. Monk asked the question on everyone's minds.

'Then, what do you propose we do? I feel like every lead we've gotten so far leads to a dead end.'

'We concentrate on finding out more about the woman in the fire. If I was a betting man, I would say that is all started with her.'

'What about the butler? Remember what he said? Maybe we should try to speak to him! He might even have known this woman.'

Naru's eyebrows rose. He had forgotten about the butler completely. If he didn't start seriously focusing on this case rather than Mai, mistakes like this would start recurring. Not waiting for an answer, Monk walked towards the door.

'I'll go get him.'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After running around the mansion and asking various members of staff, it became clear that the butler was no longer here. Brows furrowed, Monk walked slowly back to the base. The soft rustling coming from his jeans as he walked echoed around him. No one had been able to tell him where the old man had disappeared to. Most guessed that he had taken a small leave in order to grieve his master's recent death. Monk couldn't understand why he would be the only one to do so however. Having said that, it's not like he knew exactly how far back the butler's relation with his boss went. On his way back to the base, he was almost at the door when he ran into Haruka, who was briskly walking towards him.

'So, have you found him?'

Smiling, she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Though Yakumo had acted as cold as could be possible, Mai's words had lifted her spirits somewhat.

'No; apparently he left to mourn the boss' death.'

'Oh…Can't we ring him or something?'

'I thought of that but it seems that no one has his phone number. Or his address. It's very odd actually.'

Just as Monk finished his sentence, Mai popped her head round followed by Naru, who had presumably overheard snatches of the conversation. Looking for all the world like a canine on full alert, ears pricked, he asked;

'He's not here?'

Monk, one eyebrow raised, gave Haruka an amused look. It seemed that nothing could escape the young man's attention.

'Yeah, the staff all told me the same thing – he's in mourning.'

'And they couldn't give you any contact information?'

'No…'

'That's pretty strange considering they all work together under the same roof.'

Pensive, Naru pulled out his mobile phone, hurriedly punching in some numbers. Soon, the person he was calling picked up. By this point, everyone had congregated in the large corridor. Lin hesitated before smiling shyly at Haruka, a gesture not having gone unnoticed by Yakumo. However Lin, who was unaware of this, took the young woman's smile as an invitation, and made his way around the group in order to join her. Standing at her side, he couldn't help but notice the subtle yet sweet scent of fruity strawberry. 'Must be her shampoo', he thought. Shaking his head surreptitiously, he tried clearing it of the rose tinted fog which seemed to have taken over. His heartbeat had raised a little, something which made him uncomfortable. Losing control of his body was not something he enjoyed enduring. Especially when it looked like the cause for this state of his was a small and gentle woman. This would not do. He once more smiled at her, but she did not look towards him, too engrossed in the conversation Naru was having on the phone with Sera.

'So, you don't know? And you don't have any contact number or anything?'

Naru was incredulous. How could no one have any way of reaching the butler? Especially his employers?

'I'm sorry Naru. Samuel went wherever my father went. We never needed his phone number or address because he was never far away. But don't worry, he's probably taken some time off to mourn. I don't blame him, he took it hard. He'd taken care of my father since he was 5. Papa grew up around Sam. He was with us at the funeral but left shortly after.'

'Where to?'

'I'd presumed back to the mansion but you're telling me he's not there. So he's probably with some relatives of his. He'll be fine. '

Realising that he would not get anything more useful from the conversation, Naru cut the exchange short and hung up. Frustrated, he sighed. He really felt like they had hit a bit of a wall. Now it was all down to finding out whatever they could about the burning woman.

For the rest of the day, the crew all chipped in and pooled their efforts in order to find out any kind of useful information about this mystery woman, who had seemed to disappear from all records. Websites, newspaper articles, family trees and biographies – save from projecting a very rigid and well-kept image of her, nothing was out of the ordinary. Seeing her prominent position in society and the importance attached to her family name, her public image had to be maintained in pristine condition, which probably explained the difficulty they had finding anything worthwhile. After 5 solid hours of research, two expedited meals and some good natured squabbling, the group disbanded, a little disheartened and definitely worn out. Haruka dragged herself back to her room, accompanied by Lin, saddened and angered by Yakumo's silence. Not once had he spoken a word to her, or even looked at her. On his side, Lin was concerned. It was very clear that the woman walking beside him was not feeling at her best, but he was at a loss as to what to say, or how to even begin to comfort her. Still, he hoped that his presence in itself was helpful. Before long, they had reached her door. Not knowing what to do, Lin awkwardly patted her arm, almost as if she were a child, before walking away. 'Well that was painful', he thought to himself. On her end, Haruka, who was getting ready for bed, wanted nothing more than to slip into her sheets and be blissfully swept away to dreamland. The tension between Yakumo and herself was just too stressful. Gladly changing into comfortable shorts and t-shirt, she did just that. Relishing in the sensation of her skin against the cool and soft linen, and the smell of freshly cleaned sheets, Haruka tried as best as she could to empty her mind. She imagined her thoughts floating away with every breath she took, relaxing into the mattress. Just as her mind drifted towards sleep, she felt an icy finger slowly trail its way down from her right temple to her right cheek. Alarmed, the young woman rapidly brought a hand to her face, retracing the path. Feeling nothing but her own skin, she concluded that it must have been a breeze, or something similar. Even if this was a haunted house, it was possible to be over cautious, bordering on paranoid. She turned onto her side, shivering despite herself. Before long, her mind was playing tricks on her, and she was adamant that ghosts and spirits lurked beneath, behind and above every piece of furniture in her room. The shadows cast by the moonlight filtering in through her window were also cause for concern. As she clutched the sheets to her chest, albeit feeling somewhat ridiculous, Haruka told herself that none of this was real. Before she could con herself into believing this, rapid and shallow breaths flowed into her ear, followed by a series of rushed, imperceptible whispers, which began steadily increasing in volume. Clamping her hand firmly over her ears, she sat up, tucking her knees under her chin. Could paranoia really do this? As she sat trembling slightly, she felt the light touch of fingers once more. This time, she felt them brush slowly up and down her arms, across her hands, her fingers, and her face. Now too terrified to move, she simply willed it all to go away. Getting more insistent, the fingers started tugging away at her t-shirt, each tug more violent and insistent than the last, as if whoever controlled them wanted to unclothe her. Springing into action, Haruka leapt out of her bed, the t-shirt ripping in the process. Knocking over the lamp on her bedside table, she ran as fast as her terrified body would allow her to, not paying attention to the fingers' violent taunting, poking, jabbing and tearing. Just as she reached for the handle, she felt her head jerk back forcefully, her neck coming close to snapping with the motion. Something, or someone, had grabbed her hair and was pulling fiercely downwards, as if they wanted to savagely rip her head off her body. She could feel her throat start to bend unnaturally far backwards, pressing against her voice box painfully. Blood rushed to her temples, her breath was cut short, and all she could do was let out a small whimper, still holding the handle tightly, tears of intense pain roll down her cheeks. Why was this happening? Was she going to die here? Like this? As her immense panic spurred on more and more sombre thoughts, she felt the handle shift beneath her clenched fingers, and her heart leapt, although she was still too frightened to let go. The door swung open to reveal a white shirt. All at once, the fierce grip released her, and wincing, Haruka lowered her head very slowly, the pain still impossibly fresh, only to meet an alarmed gaze.

'Haruka? Haruka!'

Unable to stay standing, she slumped into his open arms, grateful for his protection. Thankfully, it seemed that his arrival had driven away whatever spirits had haunted her just a few moments ago. On his end, Lin could do nothing but let her huddle against him, unable to shake off what he had witnessed upon walking in. Just a while ago, he had been pacing the length of the corridor, as sleep eluded him. He was more preoccupied about Naru and his predicament than he had realised. Hearing something crash, he had wasted no time in running to her room, and opened the door without thinking. Looking down, he was greeted with a strange view of her neck, which bent at an unnatural angle. Then, Haruka had slowly moved her head in order to face him, and he was confronted with a tear stricken face filled with horror, desperation and defeat. Her cheeks were deathly white, and her t-shirt was torn, in such a way that her left freckled shoulder was left uncovered. Who, or what had done this to her? This place was decidedly intent on targeting the women. First Mai, now Haruka. Having carried the young woman to her bed, he quickly rushed to his room, in order to collect the items he needed to treat her. No use leaving her alone longer than necessary, the basics will have to do. Armed with painkillers, bandages and a soothing balm, he returned to her room. Though she had now passed out, he carefully lifted her head up, and tried as best as he could to sit her up somewhat, so that he could reach around her entire neck.

'What are you doing?'

Yakumo's frigid tone resonated throughout the now silent space. Lin, still holding onto Haruka, turned slightly, only to meet the other man's furious stare. Yakumo took in the state of the unconscious young woman on the bed, her ripped clothes, the pills on the bedside table, and Lin hovering over her. Unable to hold in his rage, he crossed the space between the men in two giant leaps, and promptly crashed his tightly wound fist into Lin's face. The latter had had no time to react, especially given that his arms were already full. He was pretty sure his nose was almost broken, his glasses in any case definitely were, and he could feel beads of blood rolling down. When the second punch arrived however, he was able to dodge it, set Haruka down once more, and grab Yakumo's wrist to stop him from punching again. He wasn't going to be subdued however, and angrily shook off the hold, taking a step back. Lin could swear the man's eyes had turned a blazing red with fury. Yakumo roared;

'How DARE you lay a finger on her?!'

Lin decided that maintaining a calm and collected composure was the best way to go in this situation. Still, he remained cautious.

'I didn't. I was assessing the damage.'

'Oh yeah? With your filthy hands groping about? _Bastard_.'

The last word was spat out, as Yakumo's utter repulsion grew stronger with every passing second. This is why Haruka needed him. She was too easy a prey for those lurking beasts. He should have seen him coming a mile away. Bracing himself, he went to throw another punch, but froze in mid-air, as a familiar voice called out weakly.

'Don't! Yakumo please….sto…'

Her sentence was punctuated with deep, rasping sounds, and she couldn't get to the end without breaking out into a fit of painful coughs. Yakumo ran to her, Lin now being the furthest thing from his mind.

'Haruka…What happened?! How are you?'

He reached out to stroke her cheek, but let his hand drop as he looked at her. What he saw in her face was not her usual soft expression, but an angry and wounded one. Remembering the events of the previous day, he swallowed with difficulty, suddenly feeling very ashamed.

'…So…you're speaking…to me….now?'

Wincing at her accusatory tone, clear as day even with her ragged breathing, he saw in her eyes that he was the last person she wanted to see right now. At what point she had transitioned from upset to angry he didn't know, but he knew not to aggravate her any more than he already had, especially given her current state. Turning back to Lin, he said;

'You better explain what happened once you're done here. I'm not letting you off the hook just yet. I'll be waiting outside.'

With that, he walked away from Haruka with a heavy heart, and sat against the wall, next to her bedroom door. Waiting.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next two days trudged on by, with the group still attempting to unearth some valuable information which could help them further the case. Though no one expressly said so, they all hoped for the butler's return, who was their best bet for now. Too cramped up in the base, they all settled in the big lounge, which was located across from the dining room. It was by far the most tastefully decorated space in the mansion. Oddly enough, though the heavy red curtains still hung from every window, the furniture was of a lighter wood than the rest of the house, with luxurious Persian rugs spread across the wooden floor, and paintings of cheery landscapes hung on the walls. A bookcase was situated to the far left, a comfortable looking armchair next to it, along with a small round table and a lamp. Naru had claimed the armchair as his own that morning. Having placed his laptop on the small table, he was busy searching away, not letting the previous two days' continuous lack of success deter him. The others were not so resilient to failure, and were starting to lose heart. They had all scattered over the room; Haruka, Mai and Ayako had chosen to sit on the expansive, cream linen sofa and were chatting away. Lin had taken a cushion from said sofa, and used it to lean against the wall it faced, a book in hand. Though he pretended to be engrossed in it, he was in fact surveying Haruka, unable to let her stay unsupervised after what happened the previous day. Once she had fallen asleep last night, Yakumo, true to his word, had waited for Lin to leave the room and give him an explanation. Though obviously still angry, he had had no choice but to believe Lin, given that Haruka refused to speak with him. He'd tried approaching her a few more times since then, but she had either avoided him, or made it clear with a look or a small gesture, that his presence was not wanted. Yakumo, angry, upset and frustrated, could only respect her wishes for now, though it was killing him. Walking aimlessly around the vast stretch of land around the estate (which was far too big to be called a garden), hands deep in his jeans pocket, he tried clearing his mind of Haruka's face, her smile, how Lin had effectively come to her rescue, how he had taken care of her and held her, something which Yakumo very much felt should have been done by him. How had things turned out this way? Sunrays cut through the few clouds in the sky, illuminating his surroundings. Bushes, trees, flowers and grass. A lot of grass. Spotting a large oak tree, Yakumo walked towards it, deciding to lie down for a while. Kicking off his battered converses, he positioned himself under the tree's shade, and swung one arm over his face so that his arm rested on his eyes. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he lost complete track of time. At some point, he could have sworn he saw Haruka advancing towards him, smiling. When he sat up though, it was not Haruka he saw, but someone else. Standing a few metres away, her hair flowed freely around her face, teased by a non-existent breeze. There was an odd quality about her, one which he recognised instantly. This was no human being. The reddish hue with which he saw her confirmed that she was a spirit. She stood there, unmoving. Usually, once realising that he could see them, the spirits would attempt to communicate, either by calling out, or gesturing. This woman, however, uttered not a sound, moved not an inch. Just looked at him with detached interest. A minute - perhaps more - passed, before Yakumo attempted to reach out to her. As soon as he stood up to take a step towards the spirit, the latter turned on her heels, and promptly walked away. Debating as to whether he should follow her, he ran a hand through his hair. Before he could reach a decision however, she had vanished from sight. Well that had settled it.

Back at the mansion, Monk and John had decided that perhaps they would be of more use doing independent research than staying at the estate like everyone else. Although neither of them had said so to anyone, they both felt that too many people had been assigned to the same case. Not wanting to step on any toes, they simply told the rest of the group that they would investigate at the University of Tokyo which they had found out Emi had attended. With this in mind, they had set off in Monk's pride and joy, a Calloway Chevrolet, hoping that their endeavour would prove successful. The remaining six had stayed in the lounge, content with their current occupation. At this point, Naru was really the only one still trying to make progress; the others had given up a while back, and were casually chatting among themselves, save for Masako who, given Yakumo's absence, had preferred staying close to Naru and watched him work, though this unnerved the latter somewhat.

Without warning, a scream reverberated across the walls of the entire mansion. For a few, shattering seconds, despair and anger filled the air as the strident note shook the very floors. Before anyone could react, the room temperature started visibly rising, just as it had before. Alarmed, Naru sprang into action. He tossed his laptop aside and reached for Mai. Though he did not know if this time she would pass out, he knew that he definitely did not want to risk the chance of finding out. Not saying a word to her, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her none too gently out of the lounge and towards the corridor, aiming to leave the mansion altogether. He felt the hot air rush by him as the front door neared. Almost there, he extended his left hand towards the doorknob, but at that very same moment, felt a weight pulling him down on his right one. Swirling round, his heart skipped a beat as his eyes fell on Mai's unconscious form, crumpled on the ground. Though she was no longer awake, her wrist was still in his hand. Panicking and losing what little self-control he had managed to retain, Naru wasted no time in scooping her up in his arms. One of her shoes came loose and hit the wooden floor with a soft thud. Disregarding this however, he purposely faced the entry door once more, and reached for the knob. Once outside and a good few metres away from the building, he sat down and set her so that her head rested on his lap. It was then that he noticed something was very wrong. Though at first he blamed it on the blinding rays of sunlight shining on Mai, he now saw that with every passing second, she was getting progressively paler. Pale wasn't the right word…It was more of a transparent quality. Hearing a gasp behind him, he turned to see that the rest of the group had followed him out. Lin, bent over Mai's unconscious form, had a very worried look on his face, which did nothing for Naru's concern. The latter held Mai closer to him, somehow hoping that if he held her tightly she might regain some solidity. Her shape was becoming increasingly hazy, and he could feel her weight decreasing. She was disappearing before their very eyes. Too shocked to say a thing, they all watched in silence as Naru's arms and hands became visible under the young woman's body. Though the weather was splendid, the birds were singing and the air comfortably warm, it was all lost in the gravity of the situation. All knew that if Mai vanished into the spirits' memories, she could be gone forever, or harmed irreparably. A few more seconds passed, and Mai's body was no longer. Naru stayed, unmoving, completely lost.

'What's going on?'

Yakumo's question broke the silence, and it was Lin who gave him an explanation. The former simply stared at Naru's back, who was still sitting in the grass, before stating;

'I just saw a spirit actually. Maybe she's the one responsible for all this.'

At this, Naru got up with surprising agility and wasted no time in questioning Yakumo.

'Who? She? Did she say anything?...Wait, you _saw_ her? With your own eyes?'

'Yes. How else?'

Masako chose this exact moment to interject.

'Really Yakumo? You can see them? How marvellous! Then you and I really aren't that-'

A single look from Naru cut her short mid-sentence. He carried on;

'Never mind. We will get into that subject later. Did she say anything? Give any indication on who she was, or used to be?'

'No. But her face was very familiar to me.'

Producing a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, Naru opened it hastily before handing it over to Yakumo.

'Is this her?'

Tilting his head to one side, the detective observed the printed picture carefully. It had been clearly cropped to single out the young woman in it. Though her expression there was much more carefree, he definitely recognised the big eyes and full lips. This had to be the spirit he had seen that morning. Nodding, he handed the piece of paper back to Naru, who now turned to Lin.

'You have to project me back.'

'No.'

'Lin.'

'No.'

'Lin. Please. I have to do this.'

Lin had known from the moment he had seen Mai collapsed on the grass that it would lead to this. Naru had always been the definition of composure. But whenever Mai was concerned, especially recently, he seemed to turn into another man altogether. His request was beyond foolish. And although he had almost finished the charm he had been asked to craft, he just could not let Naru take one more step towards danger. And that was understating it. What he would be doing by projecting back is throwing himself into the belly of the beast. Taking his friend aside, he tried to quietly reason with him.

'Naru. This is madness. Here is why: for one, I'm not sure I _can_ project you back. It requires a lot of power and concentration. Secondly, even if I could, we don't even know where and when Mai has been sent to. Thirdly, there is every chance that she will come back to us in the next few hours on her own anyway. Besides, I've almost finished the charm-'

'I'll tell you what we're going to do, Lin. We're going to finish that charm. Then, I'll go back and I will save her. That is what is going to happen.'

'Naru, you can't-'

'I can. I will. There's nothing you can say to stop me. If you don't do it, I will find someone who is willing to.'

Knowing full well that he wasn't speaking lightly, Lin tugged at his shirt sleeves, already aware of the fact that he was going to have to help Naru. No matter what his own reservations were on the matter. When he had an idea lodged in his head, nothing could remove it.

During the next hour, they locked themselves in Lin's room, finishing the charm. The only thing left was to pool together a small portion of Naru's power and inject it into the necklace. Lin uttered a string of words in an ancient and forgotten language. As his right palm rested on Naru's forehead, he slowly brought it away from the young man and towards him, in this way drawing a thin but electric blue line, which he then directed towards the charm; a pretty yet simple necklace in the form of a sparrow, which Naru had picked out especially. It drank the blue current avidly, and soon, started glowing brightly for a few seconds, before returning to its original state. Though he could feel strange tingles coursing through him, Naru pushed forward.

'Now, send me back.'

Sighing, Lin polished the silver necklace, before handing it over.

'Are you sure you want to do this?'

'Yes. Now come on, I don't want to lose any time.

'You know that I have very limited knowledge about what you will encounter. I don't have any advice for you, save from perhaps to try remain unseen and be as discreet as possible. Christ, I don't even know if I can do this.'

'Please, give this shot all you have.'

Seeing the raw desperation in Naru's eyes, Lin could do nothing but nod gravely.

'Ok. This is what you need to do. I will utter a few phrases, not unlike the ones I just said. However, at my signal, you will need to completely let go of all of the power you hold inside. Everything. Without it, I won't be able to send you back. Now, this is extremely important; as you release it, you must visualise as clearly as you can, the place and time you want to go back to. Any small distraction or mistake could result in a very messy outcome. Very, very messy.'

'Got it. I'll be fine.'

'Out of curiosity, where are you planning on going back to?'

'This mansion, but back to the time when the fire and murders occurred. It's my best bet. If Emi really is causing this, that is probably where Mai is going to end up. I hope.'

At least Naru was still clearheaded enough to use his head efficiently. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself to project him back.

'Oh, one more thing, make sure you give Mai the charm as soon as you find her. And when you're ready to get back, just say this;'

Lin handed him a piece of paper, on which was written a few words.

'Make sure Mai says them too, or she won't return with you.'

He hesitated before carrying on with:

'Look, no matter how distant you try to act, I know that you love her. It's as obvious as the sky is blue. Promise me that when you bring her back safely, you will tell her how you feel.'

Naru shot him blank look. This did not deter him however.

'Promise me.'

'Fine.'

Once both the paper and charm were tucked safely into Naru's jacket pocket, they set to work, and both fervently hoped that this was the right thing to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Completely and utterly disoriented, Mai blinked a few times in an attempt to clear the foggy film which covered her vision. Blurred shapes and colours were all she could see. Stumbling around, she looked for something with which to steady herself. Her own breathing rang loudly in her ears; she felt unfamiliar with herself, her own body and mind. Beyond her erratic breathing, she could hear some clanging sounds and possibly grunting. Before she got a chance to get her bearings, a flash of white appeared before her, followed by searing pain. Seconds after, another flash, which brought more pain. Holding her left side in agony, Mai felt herself being thrown backwards violently, hitting a hard surface in the process. With her head now throbbing but a newly cleared vision, she scrambled onto her knees, and watched in horror as in front of her very eyes, a man is stabbed repeatedly and savagely in the chest. The sound and sight of the steel blade plunging into the soft flesh, the dark red blood half squirting, half trickling down the poor man's shirt, the strong smell of iron which soon began to engulf the room, the heavy thud his body made upon contact with the floor. All these details Mai knew would be etched into her memory forever. The attacker turned slowly to face her, as if they had not noticed her presence until now. Fervently, she dragged herself across the floor, away from the terrifying scene she had just witnessed. She was able to spot a doorway and headed towards it, not taking any time to check whether the attacker pursued her. With the little amount of energy she had left, she managed to painstakingly stand on her feet, still bent over however. Breathing in great big gulps of air, she ignored the searing pain which wracked her, and placated her palm over her gaping wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Gasping, Mai continued to stumble around, hoping to find a way out. That was all she could concentrate on right now. After a minute or so, she came to the realisation that this place was not unfamiliar to her. Somehow, she was able to navigate her way through it, and find the exit. Once outside, it all came to her. The mansion! That's where she was! Although…she must be in another dream…Well…Looking down at the nasty gash in her side, she drily remarked to herself that the word dream wasn't the most accurate term to use. Deciding that the debate could wait, she looked for a spot where she could sit relatively shielded from view, to think all this through and figure out her next move. Spotting a fairly large shrub in the distance, away from the main house, Mai dragged her exhausted self towards it. Feeling relatively out of sight there, she fell heavily on the grassy floor. After having calmed down a little, and breathed away some of the shock from what she had just seen, she lifted her t-shirt, only to be greeted with a ghastly sight. The stab wound was wide open; the mess of slashed tissue, punctured skin and thick oozing blood was too much for Mai, and caused her to retch. She coughed violently before retching some more, feeling her stomach's contents rapidly shoot up the back of her throat and out within seconds. Wiping her mouth with a sleeve, she sought to stand, needing to get away from the pungent acidic puddle. Her body, however, had had more than enough and gave up. Mai's legs buckled, her head became too heavy to support, and she felt her life force being pulled downwards and out of her body. By the time she hit the ground, she had blacked out.

人

How long had she been out?

'Ah, you're awake.'

Mai's eyes flew open, only to see a white ceiling above her. She turned to the right, where the voice had originated from. A young boy of about 16 looked back at her, smiling kindly. Not knowing where she was, or who this person might be, she remained wary, smiling back cautiously. The boy seemed to catch on, and quickly added;

'My name is Sam, I'm a servant at the Hideyoshi estate. I saw you passed out on the grounds and…well, I couldn't just leave you there. So I brought you here. It was the nearest hospital I could find.'

He smiled again, and this time, Mai smiled back unrestrainedly, touched and thankful for his intervention. Lord knows what would have happened to here had she been left back there. The previous events rushing back to her, she quickly reached for her left side, a movement which caused her some pain. Still, she could see that it had been taken care of and bandaged up. Sighing with relief, she dropped back in the bed and looked around. White curtains had been drawn across the right side of her bay, but to the left, she could see rows of simple, metallic beds extending quite far along. Nurses flitted about, tending to various patients, some more gravely injured than others. Save from the nurses' and doctors' tapping steps on the cold checkered floor, some whisperings and coughing, it was fairly quiet. Too tired to stay awake long, Mai felt her eyelids become increasingly heavy, and soon she drifted off once more. When she awoke, the boy had disappeared. A doctor came to see her, asked her a few questions regarding her health, before checking up on her wound. She was glad to hear that they would allow her to return home soon. Except that she had no home. Not in this time anyway. Her heartrate quickened, and she felt panic well up within her. What was she going to do? She missed Naru, and Lin, and the others. They always knew what to do in these situations. But now she was alone, and didn't have a clue.

'Hey! The doctors say you can leave when you're ready! What's your address? I can arrange for a taxi to pick you up…'

Mai had never been a good liar, so she told the truth as much as possible.

'I don't…have an address.'

The boy's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

'Oh? Do you…I see…Then, what were you doing at the estate?'

'I uh…I was employed by them…to…work for them on…things.'

Her words had a very peculiar effect on Sam. His confusion suddenly gave way to complete and total understanding. He winked at her, before saying;

'I see. Right well that's about as much as I need to know about that. Not that I mean this as an insult to your person, but my master's preferences in the bedroom are not things I require knowledge of. Let's see, I guess I could lodge you at my sister's whilst the mess gets sorted… '

Though his tone of voice indicated amusement, Mai felt her cheeks burn up as she realised what he had thought she meant. She knew that contradicting him would be a silly move, so didn't. Being a mistress was certainly a better explanation that being some sort of weird time traveling futuristic person. After a couple of hours, she felt strong enough to leave the establishment, and it wasn't without an enormous amount of relief that she signed out. Doctors made her nervous. Especially when she knew she was in the wrong…era. Sam had taken care of her bills, unbeknown to her. He really was a kind person through and through. Within the next hour, he had brought her to his family home, although the only person still residing there was his sister. The fact that the cottage was small in size only added to its charm. Situated in the more rural districts of Tokyo, it was surrounded by a few fields and other similarly built homes.

'It's not much, I know, but it's home. Please, make yourself comfortable.'

He gestured for her to walk in, and no sooner had she crossed the threshold that a very young girl came running to her. Without a hint of hesitation, she threw her arms open wide, and did a little running jump. Not knowing what else to do, Mai caught her, before realising that it had been a bad idea. Her wound had not healed sufficiently for this kind of movement, and the burning pain reminded her of that. The little girl gasped, her blonde curls bobbing up and down slightly as she placed two tiny hands on Mai's face. Her doleful brown eyes welled up with tears, and she asked in a worried tone;

'Are you hurt? Did I hurt you mommy?'

Taken aback by the girl's words, Mai carefully put her back down, before patting her head and shaking her own. She turned around and looked questioningly at Sam, who had been witnessing the exchange with a pained expression. The child grasped Mai's hand, and led her into a small but cozy room, where a few dolls had been arranged carefully onto a wooden dresser.

'Look mommy! Sammy got me dolls! This one is Papa, this is you, and this is me! Do you like them?'

Unsure as to whether she should play into the girl's delusion, Mai simply smiled and nodded, her hand still holding the child's.

'Aiko, let the nice lady rest for a bit, you can play with her later.'

Sam's voice was strained. Mai could tell that a tragedy had struck these people, but she knew not what that might be. Her heart reached out to Aiko in particular.

'NO! Then mommy might leave again. For a long time…again.'

The poor girl held onto Mai with surprising strength, refusing to let go. She seemed terrified at the idea of letting her out of sight.

'Please, stay. _Stay_.'

This time, Aiko's tears did leave her eyes, and rolled down her cheeks as her whimpers gradually turned into sobs. Unable to do much else, Mai got onto her knees with some difficulty, and brought the child towards her, resting her head on her chest, whilst stroking her hair in order to calm her down. The sobbing soon subsided, and Aiko promptly fell asleep in Mai's arms. After having carefully laid her down on her bed, Sam took her to the living room, which was decently sized, with a small wooden table in the middle of it. The windows were open, letting in a refreshing summer breeze. Pulling up a chair for her, Sam sat opposite, his expression sorrowful. So much in fact, that Mai felt obliged to ask what was wrong. He remained gravely silent for a while, as if unsure as to how he would attribute words to the emotions he was enduring.

'I need you to not breathe a word of this to anyone.'

Surprised by the sudden urgency, she simply nodded.

'That little girl, Aiko…she…Her mother, she…Remember when I found you on the Hideyoshi estate? That same afternoon, in fact, shortly before I found you, a woman committed suicide on that same estate. She burned herself to death. That was Aiko's mother. She was the lady of the house. Emi, she was called.'

Horrified, Mai's hand flew to her mouth. Emi?! Aiko was the burning woman's daughter?! Why did she…?! Suddenly, the voice she had heard in her previous vision came back to her, and it sounded very familiar.

'I tried to stop her but I was too late. The flames had already spread too much. I had promised Aiko that I would bring her mother here one day….They haven't seen one another in maybe…4 years. Yes, 4 years. It's bad enough that she had lost her father, now this?'

There was something poignant about seeing the young boy shed tears. Mai reached out to him, taking the hand which rested on the table in hers. It was clear that no words could comfort him, so she stayed silent. She knew that this was finally what Naru had been looking for; there clearly had been a sequence of events, a cause, which had thrown all these lives into turmoil, and Emi into the flames. She had to find out what. Furrowing her brows, she thought carefully about how to undertake the task. She couldn't just barge in with a ton of questions, tact was necessary. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt the one person to whom she probably owed her life at this point.

Before she was able to decide on a plan of action, a nauseatingly agonising pain pierced her very being, ripping her apart in two. Mai grasped at the table, but found that she couldn't move willingly. She felt as if she was being stabbed by tiny needles over every inch of her body, and was soon overtaken by convulsions. Falling onto the floor, all she could do was scream, certain beyond the shadow of a doubt that what awaited her, was death.

On his end, Naru had only just landed in the mansion, though about 50 years back into the past. He looked around for any signs of commotion, anything that might indicate when exactly he had arrived. However, within minutes, he was on his knees, gasping for air, attempting to control the blinding pain which coursed through him savagely. Feeling for all the world like he was being split into two, Naru's last thought was of Mai, before the darkness hit.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Her body aching, Mai picked herself up and blinked a few times. Strangely enough, this did not chase away the darkness. Confused, she turned around slowly, hoping to catch a glimpse of something familiar. The last thing she could remember was sitting in Sam's living room, before the pain started. There was nothing, literally. Not one small beam of light. Even if there had been things around her, she wouldn't have seen them. Realising that her eyesight was not going to help her in this case, she resorted to carefully extending her arms in front of her, whilst walking slowly forward. After doing this for about a minute, she began worrying that this was all there was to it. A great big, dark void. She sat on whatever hard surface was beneath her feet, and waited for what seemed an interminable amount of time before it started to tremble, at first slightly, then with alarming intensity. Standing up, she instinctively looked for support, but found nothing other than empty space. Something peculiar was happening; what she could only assume to be the sky, changed to a midnight blue. All around her, it seemed as if vegetation sprouted from the very ground at an impossible rate. She stumbled away as trees whooshed up behind her. The only thing she could think about was what would happen to her if a tree grew up from under her. This thought kept her running, on and on, in the dark, away from whatever crazy thing was happening. Thankful for the fact that she hadn't yet ran into anything, Mai carried on going, ignoring her body's plea for her to stop. Her breathing was coming in ragged but the fear she felt was just too strong. After Lord knows how long, her bare feet started aching relentlessly and she slowed down, hoping nothing lethal would catch up with her. Just then, a new sound joined the cacophony that she had gotten used to up until now. Howling. A lot of it. She looked back, only for a few seconds, and that was all that was needed. A pack of hungry looking wolves were coming towards her at full speed, fangs bared. Screaming at the sight of them, Mai increased her speed, too senselessly scared to do anything but that. Sprouting trees were one thing, but wolves?! She imagined their sharp fangs tearing away at her flesh, their saliva dripping everywhere. This only spurred her on further. She couldn't die, not right now, not here. Her body was nearing exhaustion; if this carried on, pretty soon she would trip up and either be wolfed down or pierced by a branch. Mai focused, feeling like the darkness was slowly dissipating. Renewed hope welled up within her, and she ran harder, towards what seemed to be a large field of some kind. With every step, what lay before her became clearer, and soon she could pick out an expansive beach. There were no trees there, just a lot of sand. Sensing movement above her head, she looked up rapidly, and saw streaks of blood red light converging before separating once more, as if partaking in some sombre dance. What was this place?! Feeling increasingly worse, Mai wished that her lungs would stop burning and her muscles would stop aching. Her wound wasn't doing well either. Sweat poured down her body, her clothes stuck to her uncomfortably and her mouth was dryer than it had ever been before. Still hearing the brutal sound of paws hitting the ground mercilessly, she persevered, aiming for the beach. The feeling of the warm grains of sand rolling under her feet gave her more joy and relief than it had ever done before. She stopped and turned back, to see that behind her, the trees had stopped sprouting out around her. It seemed that the beach was safe. The wolves had disappeared into thin air also. From where she stood, it looked like she was stranded on a deserted island, with the thick, jungle like vegetation stopping where the sand began. Mai, breathless, sat and massaged her legs, which were aching from all of the running she had just done. It was then that she noticed the peculiar colour of the sand. It wasn't brown, as she had previously thought, but an off-white. A surprisingly dazzling one, which made the entire beach seem as if it were glowing. Frowning, she wondered what kind of beach had shimmering cream coloured sand. Maybe that would tell her where she was, not that she remotely believed any of this was real. Looking beyond it, she realised that there was a large body of water, which was easy to miss in the darkness. Approaching it cautiously, she saw with amazement that there was not one ripple to be seen. It could have just as well been a large piece of glass or a mirror; it just looked so flawless. Seeing how perfectly still the surface was, she suddenly was overcome with a strong desire to reach out and dip her finger in slightly, just enough to cause a ripple. It was one of those things, like needing to leave in imprint on freshly poured cement, or digging one's hand far into a coffee bean bag. Already smiling at what she was about to do Mai stretched out her hand at which point, a small but incredibly refreshing breeze flowed past her, twirling around her hair playfully and tugging at her clothes. Mai gasped in wonder, as the water encircled her hand. The sensation was utterly indescribable. Unable to remove her hand from it, she advanced further, planting firmly her right foot, then her left, into the darkness. As she walked forward slowly, the ripples around her increased in size. Though it had previously been of a midnight black, the sky began to lighten until it reached a bright blue, as clear as a summer sky, with the sun high in the sky and not a cloud in sight. In the distance, Mai could hear melodious bird songs, and she felt the sun's rays upon her face, warming her up, though the water around remained cool. Soon, her wound was submerged by it, and upon contact started to heal at an amazingly accelerated rate. Mai removed the bandages around it and looked down in complete wonder, as her skin was left without even the semblance of a scar. She smiled, unable to contain the feeling of happiness and wonder which overflowed from her. In a complete daze, she continued to walk on, as the water level around her rose slowly but steadily. Looking up at the electric blue sky, she felt all her muscles relax. In her mind remained only the notion of joy, as she floated on a cloud of euphoria. Devoid of worries, sadness or pain, Mai had never felt such bliss. As the water reached her chest, she absentmindedly took notice of the multitude of tiny light orbs which rose upwards from the now aquamarine water, encircling her before disappearing into the sky. These followed her on her slow progression through the lake, casting soothing light every which way. 'How beautiful', she thought, 'I never want to leave this place…'

_'__Mai!_'

Though she heard it, the sound was so faint, so alien to the peace which infused her surroundings that she decided to pay no attention to it.

'_Mai!_'

Still, the annoying syllable persisted on breaching what had become her haven. Turning around slowly, she faced it. Somewhere, at the back of her mind, something stirred. She squinted, trying to figure out why. A man, dishevelled, stood on the shore, just inches away from the lake. His dark hair ruffled by the wind was periodically swept across his face. This did not seem to bother him however. His white shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, and seemed torn in places. Its collar, half upturned, flapped against the breeze, as he fixed her intently, his facial expression one of complete and undisguised desperation. He called out to her once more, and this time, a name popped into her dazed mind.

_Naru_.

Holding his gaze, she felt a pull, a tug at her heartstrings. Him. She needed to be where he was. Just as she resolved to walk back, she heard laughter coming from the other direction. Tuning back, she saw a man and a woman, both smiling, with their arms outstretched. There was something overwhelmingly familiar about the way her golden hair fell in masses upon her shoulders, and how his smile reached his brown eyes in earnest sincerity. They looked like home. With this peculiar feeling grabbing hold of her, she began to once more walk away from the shore. Her parents. They had to be. The parents she had never known, never had, never gotten a chance to love.

'_Mai!_'

Again. Again with the yelling. She turned around once more, and saw Naru who this time looked even more desperate than before. She couldn't understand why he wasn't joining her in the water, it was so nice here…So peaceful.

'Mai.'

This time, the sound came from the opposite direction. Turning back round, Mai's breath caught in her throat.

Standing beside her parents, was Naru. Or rather, his exact replica. She knew without a doubt who this was. His warm smile brought tears to her eyes, and all at once, she knew where she needed to go. Her tears had not been this heartfelt in a long time. She extended her hand, waving goodbye. She couldn't endure more pain than she already had, her heart was too full of scars. There was no space left for another. This was where she needed to be.

On the other side of the shore, Naru had shouted himself hoarse. It was clear to him that the lake was extremely dangerous, which was why he couldn't risk entering it. He probably wouldn't have enough sanity and common sense left to drag Mai back onto the beach. Helplessly, he carried on calling out to her. He could tell from where he stood that something had captured her attention. Beyond the lake, there was something drawing her away from the shore. However, there were too many bright lights for him to make out what that might be. Forcing down the panic which was welling up within him, he concentrated on solving the issue. How could he capture Mai's attention long enough to bring her back to him. He needed to shock her out of her euphoria that much was obvious, but how? How could he shock a woman such as herself, who lived so carefree, so carelessly, who respected almost no rule, who would say any idiotic thing just to pull a smile out of someone, and gave herself up to life without hesitation? Looking at her, he noticed that the water level had reached her neck. Thinking was no longer a luxury he could afford. In a few seconds she would be lost forever.

'_I love you_!'

Mai froze. She froze. Encouraged, he carried on.

'_I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. Even myself! I love you, Mai I love you! Please, come back to me_!'

Hearing the wobble in his own voice, he quickly attempted to clear it, and continued shouting desperately.

'_I know I'm not the most affectionate, or even remotely so. I'm not good at that useless stuff but…I promise, I promise if you come back to me, I will make an effort to…to…to do all that stuff that women want men to do. Please, Mai please, I'm begging you. Come back to me._'

Ignoring the furious beating of his heart, he silently prayed as he watched Mai remain motionless. After a few heart wrenching seconds, she turned around, a smile radiating on her face. 'God she's beautiful', Naru thought to himself. As she slowly emerged from the water, dripping wet, he paid no attention to the fact that her clothes had essentially become see through, and pulled her into his arms. It wasn't until he held her against him tightly that he realised how utterly terrified he had been. Never again. Never, he vowed, would he ever put himself through this kind of ridiculous situation again. This woman needed to be protected, and that was a job fit only for him. Letting go of her for a few seconds, he quickly picked up his jacket, which had been thrown unceremoniously on the ground the moment he had spotted Mai, and reached into its pockets, retrieving the charm and the piece of paper. Not wanting to waste time, he put the charm around her neck, before drawing her shivering body back against him. Taking a deep breath, he uttered the words Lin had hurriedly scrawled onto the note.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Haruka hadn't been able to stay still. Everyone else was patiently waiting in the lounge, waiting for Naru and Mai's return. Though Naru hadn't exactly been in her good books, his devotion to Mai was apparent. In fact, a man ready to throw all away for another person's benefit couldn't be all bad. After about an hour of nervous chatter, she had finally had enough and decided to go for a walk around the mansion. It had gotten late; they'd been gone since that morning, but she had no idea how time functioned in relation to their current world. In any case, waiting was not something she liked doing, especially when Yakumo was bent on glaring at her at every chance he got. Staying away was the best thing to do. He didn't seem to know what he wanted, and she wasn't going to let herself get caught in his self-destructive tendencies. Looking around her, she realised that she had wandered into a music room of some kind. She spotted not one but two pianos, a series of violins and trumpets, as well as a harp. On her right, a huge grandfather clock was ticking away loudly, disturbing the silence. All of a sudden, her recent ordeal with the spirit flooded back to her memory, and she massaged her neck, which was still somewhat sore, feeling inexplicably uneasy. Maybe this room had some bad…vibes. Just as she turned to leave, she felt icy fingers wrap themselves around her neck. This time she knew it wasn't her imagination. Something had been after her, hunting her. And it had found her. With formidable strength, Haruka was thrown violently across the room, her feet leaving the ground for a few seconds. Her body crashed against something, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The numerous small but painful lacerations on her back, neck and arms allowed her to guess. The clock. Sure enough, glass shards of various sizes lay scattered around her. Before she could regain composure, one of the pieces moved, as if held by an invisible hand. Suspended in the air, it was of considerable size, and very sharp. Feeling the blood drain from her face, Haruka attempted to get up, only to slip on the glass, falling back down heavily. This time, there was no Lin to save her. She screamed in terror as the large shard zipped through the air, heading straight for her throat.

She was going to die.

A mere inches away from her neck, the shard changed direction, and clattered on the floor. Whoever had been yielding it had apparently changed their mind. Haruka sighed, and took some time before moving, allowing herself to breathe in deeply and calm down. Finally, she stood up, this time slowly so as to avoid slipping. The shards crunched loudly under her shifting weight. Very loudly. And yet, she had stopped moving. The noise intensified, and she witnessed in horror as this time, every single piece was lifted off the floor simultaneously, all pointing towards her. Haruka let out a strangled scream. Why was she being taunted like this? Why? She made no attempt to flee, as she was surrounded by the floating glass; running in any direction would have meant impalement.

'Haruka!'

Never had she been so glad to hear Yakumo's voice. He seemed slightly out of breath, but that was not what drew Haruka's thoughts away from her own predicament. His expression, had changed. His lips were set in a grim line, but his eyes threw daggers. He walked calmly towards her, though keeping his eyes fixed on one specific spot. This was the last _thing_ he had expected to see here. Sure enough however, stood before him, grinning fiendishly, his own father. The father from whom he had inherited his ability to see spirits, from whom he held an eternally blazing hate. Neither of them said anything for a while. Haruka stayed still, afraid of moving even an inch, whilst the ring of shards remained suspended in the air. Yakumo's voice broke through the tension.

'Why are you here?'

'Well, that's no way to greet your dear father is it? You'd have thought your mother would have brought you up with more manners.'

'Don't you dare mention her. Answer the question.'

A small, devious smile was all Yakumo received for a while. Eventually, his father tired of the drama, and obliged.

'My aim has not changed. I will conquer you. I will own your body, I will control it, I will control _you_.'

'So your failed attempt hasn't deterred you? Has it not made you realise that your endeavour is impossible? I am not you. I will _never_ be you.'

His voice had risen to a shout. His anger was overflowing now. Yakumo's father surveyed him calmly, enjoying how provoked his son was getting.

'Ah. Even if this delicious creature were to die?'

Losing all sense, Yakumo launched himself at what Haruka saw to be thin air. Grabbing at nothing, he let out an enraged howl. The ring around Haruka tightened. He stopped moving, understanding his father's silent threat. Still, he knew better than anyone how badly he wanted to fuse with his own son, to recuperate a physical body, a place on this earthly plane. If Haruka's death could get his father even one small step closer to his objective, there would be no hesitation. As if on cue, the glass moved once more, heading for her. Yakumo dived in her direction, his only option to act as a human shield. He stopped in his tracks as Haruka was lifted high off the ground. Her expression let him know that this was completely unplanned. What she couldn't see was that she was being held aloft by a man. A spirit, undoubtedly. He looked to be around his early thirties perhaps, his expression full of sadness. Though the stranger's sudden appearance had thrown him somewhat out of sorts, Yakumo took advantage of his father's surprise and looked around him. The problem was that given his father's spiritual substance, nothing would hit him, and it was too late to get the shrine maiden or Monk. He watched, unnerved by his own helplessness, as the man carried Haruka over and out of the room, leaving him alone with his father. A few seconds passed before he returned, and swiftly grabbed Yakumo's father by the shoulders. How, remained a mystery, but both disappeared without a sound.

Wasting no time, Yakumo man doubled back, encountering Haruka a little further down the wide corridor. Putting aside the past few days, he drew her into his arms without hesitation, ignoring her muffled protests. She stood still, a little rigid for a while. What was he doing? What had happened? She pulled away, and asked him the questions that had been crowding her mind. After having heard his explanation, she realised that it was more than likely his father who had attacked her that night, and perhaps even pushed her down the stairs.

'This is why I left, Haru.'

Despite herself she smiled, seeing that Mai's nickname for her had caught on after all. She let Yakumo continue.

'I attract danger. My screwed up past looks for new ways to screw me up more every day. I don't think I could handle subjecting you to that. You won't want to stay with me. You'll wake up one day and leave.'

Haruka now understood. She understood why he had walked off that other day, why he had been avoiding her. Still, he could have told her this, instead of remaining silent as a grave. Looking up at him, she smiled brightly.

'I won't leave. If I was going to leave, I would have done it already. You need to trust me.'

Though he said nothing, he pulled her in once more, resting his chin on the top of her head, and they stayed like this until their legs tired.

人

Lin looked up when he heard footsteps. The others were dotted around the lounge fighting sleep, whilst Masako had given in, and was snoring unperceptively. Haruka and Yakumo walked in, holding hands, looking for all the world like newlyweds. Lin turned his attention back to his book, determined to block out the dismay he felt. Jealousy was an ugly thing, and he was not about to let it take over him. Another hour passed by. Monk and John came back, brandishing an envelope in triumph. Noticing the overall subdued atmosphere, as well as Mai and Naru's absence, they piped down. Lin filled them in, before asking about the envelope. Monk shook his head. He wanted to wait for the pair's safe return before carrying on with the investigation.

Just as everyone was slowly starting to doze off, something peculiar began to happen. The air's quality changed, seemingly shimmering, distorting everyone's vision. All remained motionless, not sure as to what to expect. A collective gasp resounded around the room as both Naru and Mai tumbled heavily out of thin air onto the floor. Everyone rushed to them, anxious and relieved all at once. They were unconscious, but safe. Lin wasted no time in checking them over for wounds. Naru had a fever; that much was clear. Probably from having to use his power so extensively. With the help of the others, he brought both to Naru's room, and laid them on the bed. Ordinarily, he would have put them in different rooms, but there was no telling what the extraordinary journey had done to them. He preferred keeping them both where he could tend to them at the same time. No doubt he would receive a scolding from Mai later. Lin spent the next hour busying himself with his patients, unsuccessfully trying to work away the image of Haruka's beaming smile as she held onto Yakumo's hand.

On his end, Monk was winding down, a much needed cup of tea in front of him. He had returned to the lounge after having made sure that Lin was okay on his own. Ayako had decided to keep him company, and sat beside him on the couch.

'So Naru…he was a bit reckless wasn't he?'

She nodded in agreement.

'That's not like him…'

'He's in love. It changed him.'

Monk's eyebrows at Ayako's statement.

'In love? I thought it was more of a passing fancy, or something.'

'Passing fan…? That boy went back in time for her! Of course it's love!'

She snorted in disbelief at his lack of perception. Men could be so dense. A minute or so held them in comfortable silence before Monk spoke again.

'I wish I loved someone that much.'

Surprised by this sudden confession, Ayako shifted position, so as to be facing him.

'Haven't you ever?'

'No.'

He took a sip of his tea before continuing.

'I mean, I've had girlfriends. A lot actually, but no real meaningful relationship. They all feel empty.'

'I've seen you, how you are with girls. You never approach them, they always approach you.'

'Yeah, so?'

'So? So, they want you for the fame, the money. Mostly anyway. There's no real connection, no link, no friendship. It's no wonder they're all empty.'

'You reckon?'

Ayako called on every ounce of self-restraint she had not to roll her eyes.

'I don't just reckon, I know. That's your problem. You need to take the time to get to know a woman. For who she is. The rest will follow, if it's meant to be.'

She waited for a response. A thank you, or a grateful nod. All she got was a creepy smile, which just kept getting creepier.

'Why are you looking at me like that?'

Monk looked at his friend with renewed interest. He was suddenly seeing her in a whole new light. A few more seconds of staring and she clocked on.

'No.'

'But…Ayakooooooooo…'

'Absolutely not.'

'One date?'

'No.'

'A mini date!'

'No!'

'Why?!'

'You don't even know what you want, let alone that it's me. Just, no.'

'I won't relent.'

'Then don't.'

He watched her get up, her long red hair sending a slight breeze his way. How he had looked past this woman's beauty was beyond him. Was this what friendship did?

'I won't give up. I will keep asking until I wear you down.'

She smiled as she replied;

'Who knows, maybe it will pay off.'


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Naru sat up gingerly, his head throbbing terribly. He was immensely relieved to see that he was back in his own time, intact. He looked at the clock on the wall opposite him.

Quarter past five.

'You're awake. How do you feel?'

It took him a few seconds to answer Lin's question. He wasn't sure how he felt. Apart from the headache, his entire body tingled. Ignoring the strange feeling, he smiled slightly and nodded.

'Thank you Lin. For all that you have done. I won't forget it.'

'Don't. I didn't do you a favour. Mai needed helped, so I helped. Nothing to do with you.'

Naru had expected this kind of answer. Lin didn't like receiving gratitude, and deflected it whenever he could.

'So what happened? Did you see anything?'

'I didn't see much but I think Mai might have. Where is she?'

'She's fine. She sustained no injury really, unlike you. I think the journey and the fact that you used so much of your power all at once took a huge toll on you. I'm not even sure how you made it back.'

No matter how nonchalant he had tried to act, Lin had been beyond worried.

'Well, I feel fine now.'

'Good. I'll call everyone in and we can discuss what happened.'

Naru raised an eyebrow, wondering what progress had been made on the case whilst he had been away. How long _had_ he been away?

Everyone filtered in fairly quietly, no doubt having been scolded in advance by Lin about staying calm around Naru. Once they had distributed themselves around the room, all eyes turned to the patient. He had no choice but to speak.

'Lin, how long has it been since I left?'

'About 3 days I think.'

'_What_?!'

'It wasn't your trip to the past which took so long, it was your recovery. You had a terrible fever and were completely exhausted.'

'Ok. Did anything happen in the meantime?'

As if on cue, Monk brandished the envelope he and John had brought back from their expedition to Emi's University, still sealed.

'John and I were given this by the burning woman's University. Took some convincing but we got there in the end.'

The end of this sentence was punctuated with a conspiratory wink meant for John.

'Good, what's inside?'

'We don't know yet. We were waiting for our boss to come back from the 'valleys of time' before opening it.'

Noting the good natured jibe, Naru sighed in order to cover up the contentment he felt at being called boss.

'I found out quite a bit over the past few days actually.'

Mai had chosen to sit on the edge of Naru's bed. She looked as healthy as ever. His heart leapt a little. The sight of her brought back the ordeal they had been through, which now felt like it had taken place a lifetime ago. He listened carefully as Mai recounted her experience. She fought hard to keep the tears at bay when she remembered the little girl's wide eyes brimming with hope. Hope that her mother would one day return, though Mai knew that the little girl's wish would never be fulfilled. Horrified, everyone stayed deadly silent, hanging on Mai's every word. Haruka's hand flew to her mouth as she heard that Aiko's mother was the woman who had burnt herself to death. Mai deliberately left out the rest, that is to say, what took place after she passed out at Sam's cottage. She had a feeling Naru would want her to keep quiet about that, and she was right.

'Mai…I know this is a long shot but, would you happen to remember where Sam's sister lived? Maybe we can track her down and ask what happened to Aiko. I have a feeling she's the key to unravelling what happened here.'

Mai turned to Yakumo, surprised at his involvement. He tended to be very minimal with his words.

'It's a bit hazy to be honest, I…'

She trailed off as she struggled to think back. Maybe they had passed some landmarks or significant buildings on their way from the hospital, which could help them narrow down the location…There definitely had been fields, a lot of them, and a few cottages dispersed around but nothing of –

'A church! There was a really big church-like building near there!'

Ayako laughed.

'I don't think that's going to help us much, Mai! John, any ideas?'

'I'd like to be able to help but unfortunately, I don't really know many churches in this area.'

'If we cross reference rural areas with churches, we might be able to at least narrow things down to certain areas.'

Nodding in agreement, Naru reached for his laptop. Lin slapped his hand away, looking all the world like a disapproving mother. This in turn earned a few giggles as Naru sat back, not without a scowl. In under an hour, they had narrowed it down to two possibilities. Not wanting to waste any time, they agreed to split into two groups and check them out. Naru, under strict rules from Lin, was not allowed to leave the mansion. Under normal circumstances, he would have fought tooth and nail to accompany Mai, but feeling beyond exhausted, he knew that he would be more of a hindrance than anything else. Lin decided to stayed behind also, and keep an eye on him. Monk, Ayako and John left in Monk's car, whilst Yakumo drove Mai, Haruka and Masako to what they hoped would be Sam's cottage. Haruka had managed to snatch the passenger's seat, much to Masako's dismay, who had hoped to sit next to Yakumo. Instead, she had to content herself with keeping Mai company. The latter, anxious, desperately hoped that they would succeed. Aiko really did seem to be at the heart of what had taken place years ago, and she might be their only way of finding out what happened. She watched the buildings, people and trees whizz past for what seemed like hours before they reached the rural areas. Seeing the fields, Mai sat up, frantically looking for some small sign, anything that might strike her as familiar. Finally, she saw it. The church. It stood tall, almost unchanged. Yes, this was definitely it! Excited, she almost cried out;

'This is it! This is it! We're here!'

Yakumo frowned as she inadvertently kicked his seat repeatedly, unable to contain her joy and relief. She could see the cottage a little in the distance. Yakumo stopped the car, and she jumped out, almost running towards it. She couldn't quite explain it, but it felt as if the mother's feelings and memories had imprinted on her. Her heart ached at the thought of finally being able to find Aiko, who she now thought of as a lost child, a lost daughter. She remembered the tortured feelings of Emi, as she realised that her daughter lived, but was already burning to death. At the door, she knocked several times before realising that something was wrong. By this point, surely someone would have opened…?

Haruka stood beside her, frowning.

'Are you sure it's the right place?'

'Certain.'

'Ah, young miss, it's no use knocking on that door.'

All turned to see a farmer, probably in his mid-fifties, holding a bag of what looked to be potatoes. Close to bursting, it was a wonder the man was able to haul it around without much difficulty. He smiled good-naturedly, before carrying on.

'You all friends of the family?'

The four of them looked at one another, unsure as to how far they were permitted to lie. Finally, Masako answered.

'You could say that…'

'Ah well, I'm surprised you don't know…'

Mai, feeling uneasy, braced herself for the bad news which were sure to come.

'Well, she's not been feeling well these past few months, they've had to keep her at the hospital.'

Yakumo took a step towards the man, looking somewhat threatening;

'Which hospital?'

'The closest one to here…I forget the name but it's just up that road, maybe 10 minutes away by car.'

Despite the farmer's vague directions, they managed to find the building. Charging in, they obtained the room number from a slightly suspicious receptionist, once more posing as family friends. The long corridors, almost identical to one another, lead the group to more than one dead end, but they eventually found room 102. Haruka hated the strong smell of antiseptic which permeated the place, but she bore with it as best she could. After all, this could be their last concrete chance at closing this case.

'I think Mai should be the only one to go in. Too many of us will cause a disturbance.'

Exhaling slowly, Mai pushed open the door. She approached the only bed in the nearly empty room slowly, almost reverently. The light coming in from a window next to it shone brightly, illuminating the space. There lay a frail woman, her skin lined with countless lines and wrinkles attesting to the many years she had seen go by. Her breathing laboured but rhythmic, she appeared to be asleep. Mai pulled up a nearby chair as silently as possible and sat herself down near the bed. She looked at the face of the woman she had first met four days ago, contemplating the change which time had brought upon her. Old age…what no human can ever escape. The monitor's constant beeping lulled Mai into a bit of a trance, and she didn't hear the door open.

'Who are you?!'

Thrown out of her daze, Mai turned around.

There stood Aiko. Mai recognised her instantly, as did Aiko it seemed, for as soon as her eyes landed on Mai's face, she turned white as a sheet.

'It's….you…'

Unable to stop herself, Mai got out of her chair and hugged the woman. She was now older than Mai by a fair amount, but in Mai's mind, she still saw the little girl crying for her mother to come home. Stunned, Aiko remained unmoving.

'But…you…how could you be…?

Mai explained to Aiko as best as she could, why it seemed like she had not aged a day in fifty years. The latter seemed to accept her story without difficulty, much to Mai's surprise.

'Sam's sister is nearing her end…I've tried getting in touch with him but he's not answering…'

'We've had trouble getting in contact with him too…'

Mai tried to push the unsettling thoughts aside and focus on why she was here. She wasn't quite sure where or how to begin.

'Aiko…like I said, I'm part of a team investigating a series of paranormal occurrences at the Hideyoshi mansion and…well, it all seems to lead back to something which…'

Struggling, she felt the words tumble out of her mouth clumsily. She didn't even know if Aiko knew about her mother's suicide.

Aiko surveyed her, her mouth set in a grim line, her expression cold.

'I know what you're getting at. It has nothing to do with me and I can't help you.'

The woman's sudden change in mood did not surprise Mai all that much. Recounting memories and events like the ones which she had experienced in her childhood must be tremendously painful. She racked her brain for something to say, something which would connect with Aiko, and transmit the urgency of the situation before she left the room.

'We need you. Please don't walk away! Aiko, that place, it's haunted! It will always be haunted unless we can figure out what went wrong there.'

'That's not my problem. If it's so terrible, they should knock it down. I don't know why they haven't already.'

'Aren't these people your family?'

For some reason, the question seemed to course through Aiko's body like electricity. She faced Mai, practically spitting her words out.

'Family? _Family_?! These people are scum. The whole lot of them. Messed up.'

'Aiko, please! We just want to know exactly what happened all those years ago, that's all.'

Mai pleaded, but nothing was to be done. Whatever had passed between her and the Hideyoshis, it seemed to be unforgivable. Suddenly, Aiko's gaze shifted from Mai to the hospital bed behind her. The frail woman raised a withered hand towards them with incredible difficulty. It was clear that she had something to say, however, devoid of any strength, she could barely speak. Aiko shot Mai a look which prompted her to leave the room. Whatever needed to be said was to be told in strict confidence. Mai didn't blame her, it could very well be Samuel's sister's last words for all anyone knew. She waited patiently with the others, who in the meantime pressed her for information. After about 15 minutes, Aiko stepped out, and motioned for Mai to walk over. She looked furious.

'Fine. I'll tell you what you want to know. But I'm not speaking to anyone from _that_ household. And if anyone from the hospital calls me, I'm coming straight back here.'

Mai hugged her tightly, grateful for her change of mind. Her contrite tone suggested the old woman had something to do with that. Whatever she had told her, it had done the trick.

'Of course.'

As they made their way out of the hospital, Masako fell into step with Yakumo. Haruka, who was walking alongside him frowned, more than a little unnerved by the audacity of the medium. Yakumo was hers, and no amount of flirty whispers and innocent bumping would change that. At least she hoped so. She decided it was time to give Masako a piece of her mind once and for all. Before she could do so however, Masako said;

'It makes no sense. Something's off.'

Yakumo turned to her, a little surprised.

'What is?'

'I don't know…it just makes no sense.'

'What makes no sense?'

Masako had a deep seated feeling of unease at the pit of her stomach. Sometimes this meant nothing but she had learned to take heed of it nonetheless.

'This woman is meant to be Emi's daughter, right?'

Both Haruka and Yakumo nodded.

'Then why isn't she with them? Why is she here? Why did she stay with Samuel and his sister when she was younger? We've all seen how close-knit their family is. Why is Aiko not part of it?'

All these questions were valid, and she knew it. It had been something which had troubled her since she had found out about Aiko's existence. Yakumo sighed before replying;

'That's exactly why we need to hear her out. She's probably the only one who can answer these questions. It makes no sense to us because we have almost no context. We don't even know Emi's relation to our clients yet.'

On this note, they all returned to the car, unaware of how terrible the tale they were about to hear was, which would chill them to their very bones.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_It had never been her plan to fall in love at University. In fact, she had never really held any interest in that particular facet of life. Instead, she chose to focus on her studies and ambitions. Her love of the Japanese language had driven her to excel. Given her family's status, she had been able to receive the best in terms of education, and did not intend to waste this. She worked hard, every day, determined to make her family proud. _

_Then, along came Hisashi Haruhi. _

_With his dishevelled hair, a jacket which looked worse for wear and an overused backpack, it was clear that he was a scholarship student. Not that there was anything wrong with that, in fact, she admired those more than most. Obtaining a place at a University not due to your wealth or connections, but your intelligence and hard work - that was something to be proud of. The quiet and studious type, it wasn't often that he spoke. But when he did, his green eyes would be alight with passion and his hands would fly all over the place. His excitement was contagious, and she would often marvel at his words and his ability to derive theories and intentions from an author's piece of work. She wasn't exactly sure what first brought them together. And yet, two people who couldn't be from more contrasting worlds found each other in their love of language. She fell for him slowly to begin with, and then all at once. Their weekly studying sessions turned into daily ones, and soon, she was spending most, if not all of her free time with him. Though shy around strangers, he had opened up to her unrestrainedly, and had come to confide in her all his hopes and dreams for the future. _

_One particularly cold morning, the world had frosted over and time stood still, suspended in one, crystalline moment. Hisashi knew Emi's love of the season, and chose that beautiful morning to confess his feelings towards her. Sat on a bench, under a pine tree, she watched him as he struggled to get his words out, puffy wisps of his warm breath in the cold air swirling about. He was normally so eloquent and poetic, but here, he could barely string a coherent sentence together. Whilst Emi struggled to hear the mumbled and somewhat disjointed words coming out of his mouth, which was partially concealed by the dark blue woollen scarf he wore, he wondered whether he was not making a big mistake. He knew that what he felt for her was definitely the real thing. It was the kind of affection you read about in novels, the exact same folly which will drive a man to hell and beyond, or straight into battle if it meant winning even just a small fraction of time with his beloved. Anyone could have seen how completely enamoured he was with her. But what if she didn't return his feelings? Would their friendship end? He swatted away the image of her laughing uncontrollably as he spoke to her about love, resolved to go on. His confession, though heartfelt and sincere, was one which Emi struggled with for a while. Though she loved him, she knew that nothing could come of their relationship. Her family's status had reached such heights due to highly advantageous marriages and unions. Her father would never allow her to bring Hisashi home. For a few weeks, she was able to hold out and avoid him, stubbornly ignoring every fibre in her body which screamed at her to accept his advances. Hisashi, confused, hurt and most of all, embarrassed, sought an answer. Following his confession, Emi had simply smiled, kissed his cheek tenderly and disappeared. Finally, one afternoon, as the sun set on the University campus, she gave in. She threw all caution to the wind, all logic and prudence, and threw herself in his arms. The following two years were of the happiest she would come to know. _

_Seeing as Emi had been forced to hide their relationship from the world, they had to be careful. Hisashi's parents, however, welcomed the match with unrestrained joy. Soon, the caring couple began insisting on meeting their only son's 'treasure', as they had come to affectionately call her. Hisashi had taken her to his parent's home one weekend, which was located in one of the outlying regions of Tokyo. This first meeting led to many more. Her parents had never really taken much of an interest in her, so her regular and increasingly prolonged absences went unnoticed. Compared to her dull life at the mansion filled with duties, harsh rules, unending business meetings, cold relatives, a miserable mother, a controlling father, and worst of all, a future already laid out for her, the Haruhi household was warm. There, she could be herself and carefree, she could laugh and enjoy life's little pleasures. The small apartment was always filled with some delicious smell emanating from the kitchen, and peals of laughter could be heard ringing throughout. As if compensating for her lack of childhood, Emi let her worries dissipate and used her time away from the suffocating Hideyoshi mansion to do the things which she had always wanted to do, but had been deemed a waste of time by her father. She tried painting, read voraciously, learned how to knit, and tried her hand at cooking, amongst other things. The one thing she was determined not to think about was how quickly graduation was approaching. As much as she could keep her relationship going whilst they attended University, when that was over, what would they do? It was a question which often kept her up at night. Hisashi had tried to broach the subject too, but seeing as both were more than a little reticent to face the truth, the conversation quickly died out. _

_Then, the time came. Both graduated with excellent marks, but the uncertainty which hovered over them like a sword of Damocles cast a menacing shadow over their achievement. _

_'__Let's elope. Let's go away together.'_

_Crazy, that's what that idea was. She let him know her thoughts on the matter, but he continued, relentlessly. All he said was true. She wasn't happy at home. She didn't want to become another pawn in her father's money game. She didn't want to follow the path that had been laid out for her. But was it really okay to be this selfish? It was then that she realised there was no middle point. She would have to either sacrifice her own happiness entirely, or pursue it completely. Still, if she could find a way to have the best of both worlds, she would certainly try. A few nights following Hisashi's risky proposal, Emi prepared herself. Immaculately dressed, she walked into the massive dining room where her father sat, brandy in hand, and knelt down beside him, taking hold of his hands in hers. Affection was not habitual in their relationship, and this greatly surprised him. His great furry brows furrowed as he awkwardly smiled - an expression which seemed alien on his face - evidently unsure as to how to handle his daughter's sudden gesture. Emi forced herself to ignore the knot of apprehension twisting in the pit of her stomach, and took the leap of faith. The few seconds following her explanation and pleads for him to allow Hisashi to join the family were a blur. A loud clang echoed in the large hall as her father sent the bottle of brandy flying across the room, where it shattered into a million pieces. A vein throbbing furiously on his right temple, he lifted Emi up by a fistful of her dark hair, almost lifting her off her feet. _

_'__You are _never_ to utter his name in this household again. Is that understood, whore?'_

_Though in pain, she refused to cry out. She felt spittle splatter on her face as the enraged man put emphasis on each and every one of his words, his face barely inches away from hers. She couldn't stop the tears flowing from her eyes, but this removed any doubt or guilt she ever had from her mind. She couldn't stay here. Not with him. She defied him as vehemently as possible, with every bit of her body. Staring straight into his bloodshot eyes, she let her hatred of him fill her up, until all that could be heard was her enraged scream. Her father tightened his grip, but still she screamed, kicking and punching whatever she could reach of him. Suddenly, release. Even if for a split second, it was enough for her to run out of the room, and grab the bag she had left outside the front door before going to see him, anticipating this course of events. Without so much as a goodbye, she stepped out of her front door and into the night, where Hisashi waited for her, ready to start her new life on her own terms. _

人

Pausing to take a breath and a sip of the tea which Mai had brewed for everyone, Aiko ran her fingers through her hair. Silence was all that could be heard. In the lounge, everyone had taken what had become their habitual places, with Mai and Haruka on the sofa next to Aiko. Haruka found it unsettling to hear that such horrific events had taken place under this very roof. Monk, taking the lapse in the account as an opportunity, retrieved the still sealed envelope from his pocket. It was by now a little crumpled, and begging to be opened.

'Not to interrupt but, John and I have been waiting days to open this. Can I…?'

The unfinished question was directed at Naru. The latter nodded silently, though he already had a good idea of what was inside it.

Monk opened it energetically, almost ripping the envelope's contents in his haste.

'Careful!'

Ayako's reprimanding tone did not slow him down. Soon, they were all staring curiously at an old, sepia photograph. Aiko let out an audible gasp.

'That's…my mother.'

She pointed at a tall, elegant woman standing beside four others with the University in the background, dressed in a mid-length skirt and button down top. Naru instantly recognised her; she was unmistakeably the woman on the old picture he had managed to dig out from the depths of the internet. Yakumo's attention, however, was elsewhere. Next to Emi stood a young man, with dark hair which flopped back into his eyes a little. Though he smiled at the camera, Yakumo knew who this was. This was the man who had all but saved Haruka's life in the ordeal with his father. Realisation dawned on him as the implications of this hit home. This tale was about to take a much darker turn for the worse. He glanced over at Aiko, unsure as to whether she knew what her father looked like. Her silent tears confirmed that she did.

'You should keep that. It's yours.'

Aiko smiled gratefully through her tears at John. Holding the photograph close to her heart, she said;

'The only thing I have left of my parents is my mother's diary. She wrote in it religiously…If it weren't for that, I…I wouldn't know about my father or what happened to…'

Seeing that Aiko was clearly too upset to continue, Mai wrapped a comforting arm around her before suggesting that she go to bed. They would continue the next day. The poor woman was too tired to argue, and she let herself be guided away to one of the many spare bedrooms. The atmosphere she left behind clung heavily onto the air. They all knew the worst of it was yet to come.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

By 8 o'clock the following morning, everyone was back in the lounge, fully awake and alert, ready to hear the rest of the account. Tea was passed around once more, along with a few biscuits. Masako frowned as a familiar sensation took over her. Warmth spread from her stomach up to her chest and arms, right up to her fingertips, and down her legs, to her toes. A fog enveloped her mind for a small second, before clearing again. She knew what this meant.

'Someone is here with us, in this room.'

Her statement cause a few heads to turn, and Aiko looked scared to death. At the side of the room, sitting on a plush rug opposite the sofa, Yakumo looked around. He couldn't see anyone. Frowning, he wondered what game the woman was playing.

'Never mind, it doesn't feel too threatening.'

Aiko visibly relaxed at Masako's statement, and wasted no time in picking up her account from where she left off. They were all finally going to find out exactly why this mansion was haunted.

人

_Hisashi had already signed a lease on a small apartment near his parents' place. Unbeknown to Emi, he had gambled on the chance that she would agree to elope with him, and made the necessary arrangements to make this possible. Normally, Emi hated things to be planned for her in advance without her knowledge or consent, but had Hisashi not done so, they would essentially be homeless. They intended on moving countries altogether, but once settled, the unexpected happened. Emi fell pregnant. It was not without a tremendous amount of joy and some fear that they told the Haruhis. Overwhelmed, the soon to be grandparents helped out as much as they could, both financially and emotionally. Hisashi worked at the University within the language department and earned enough to support them, but his parents felt it necessary to dote upon them. _

_Emi missed her mother, there was no denying that. Many a time had she put on her coat, resolved to go back to the mansion and make everything right, if only for her mother's sake. The fact that she hadn't even said goodbye, or hugged her for what she now realised might very well have been the last time haunted her very dreams. She wasn't sure if it was because of the pregnancy, but she kept thinking back to the times her mother had been there for her, taken care of her and supported her. Gentle and quiet, it was hard to believe that Manami was married to Emi's father. Though a marriage of convenience, Emi had always firmly believed in her parents' love for one another. Looking back, she wasn't so sure. Her mother's character was so refined and calm that her father had completely taken over the relationship. With his heavy presence and need to control everything, it was easy to see how. Although overall Emi had not had anywhere near as much time with her parents as she would have liked, she had definitely been closer to Manami than to her father. Still, she was more than convinced to have made the right decision. And now, she was going to be a mother. Often, she would look around their apartment's small living room come dining area and imagine a little child running about, delighted with the world. The thought had more than once brought her to tears. Admittedly a small part of her regretted the fact that this child would only have one set of grandparents, but they had so much love to give that he or she would not lack in affection. As the months rolled by, she had the pleasure of experiencing the effects of pregnancy. Nausea, tiredness, and most of all, cravings. Those were the hardest things to deal with, because they would come out of nowhere, and if she did not satisfy them, her entire day would be ruined. One day, sometime in the fourth month of her pregnancy, she absolutely had to have crackers. And not just any old crackers, but a very specific brand. Just the thought of them brought saliva rushing into her mouth. There was no logical, rational reason behind it. She just had to have them. And so, at six in the afternoon, Hisashi was forced to visit various shops to find the particular pack of crackers which Emi required. He didn't even mind much. Every day he remembered how close he came to losing her, and this made life feel better than he ever hoped it could be. _

_Locking his car, he briskly walked towards the supermarket. Heading straight for the relevant aisle, he fervently hoped he would find what Emi wanted. It wasn't the first time she sent him on a quest to find a specific sort of edible snack. In fact, it was happening so often lately that he had become somewhat of an expert when it came to locating stores and products. Relieved at the sight of the red and green packaging of the crackers, he smiled and briskly grabbed a couple of packs for good measure, before heading towards the till. Thankfully, not many people were out shopping today, which meant that he was out of the store in record time. Scarcely had he left the building that he felt himself being yanked forcefully to the side, his shopping bag sent flying. He tried to shake off the vicious grip, but to no avail._

_'__Finally have the balls to leave your hole, rat?'_

_Hisashi's eyes widened as he looked up at his interlocutor. Though he had never met Emi's father in person, he had seen enough pictures in the press to recognise him now. Kenta Hideyoshi. One of the wealthiest men in Japan._

_'__Hmm? You can steal my daughter away from me, but can't answer a simple question?'_

_Still gripping Hisashi's arm, the burly man advanced his face towards Hisashi's until it was merely inches away. He said nothing for a while, simply staring down the young man, a devilish sneer on his face._

_'__So, where is she?'_

_His tone menacing, Hisashi knew that until he answered, Emi's father would not leave. Still, he refused to give the man what he wanted. His stubborn silence soon enraged Kenta, whose vein began throbbing ominously. Hisashi looked at it, pulsing away on the man's temple, almost like a ticking bomb. After a few minutes of solid silence, Kenta sighed rubbing his forehead, and said;_

_'__Look, you can play the hero all you want. Honour and bravery, I imagine those are the kind of values your deadbeat parents taught you, alongside not shitting yourself and eating with chopsticks. But listen to me, boy. I'm a man you do not want to cross. I will not let you go until you give me what I want, and the longer you take, the thinner my patience is stretched. Do you want to know what happens when I run out of patience?'_

_Before Hisashi had time to react to anything that was said, he felt his stomach explode. Kenta had bunched up his fist and delivered a well-placed punch square in his stomach. His breath cut off for what seemed to be a few interminable seconds, Hisashi sputtered and fell to the ground. A wave of nausea overcame him, but he held it all in, wanting to cling onto what little dignity he had left at this point. He wanted to lash out and crash his own fist into Kenta's face, but his common sense and survival instinct let him know better. There was a reason for the fact that Emi and himself had remained hidden away for this long. Emi had told him many, many, many chilling tales about her father's outbursts of anger and violence. What he needed to do was make sure he got out of this situation alive. Hisashi didn't want to beg, but he wasn't sure how to proceed either._

_'__Please, Mr Hideyoshi…'_

_The latter did not wait for the end of the sentence. Picking up Hisashi by the collar of his jacket, he pulled him up to his feet unceremoniously, before shoving him backwards roughly. Refusing to be treated like a rag doll, the young man grabbed Kenta's wrist and pulled it away from his jacket. This gesture did not please him. Eyes alight with anger, he boomed;_

_'__Who are you to-'_

_'__She's pregnant!'_

_The words came out before he had a chance to swallow them safely away. Horrified, he could only stand still, watching Kenta's expression change from one of anger to…excitement._

_'__What? Pregnant? How far along?'_

_He only gave Hisashi a second to reply before rapidly closing the space between them, grabbing him by the shoulders._

_'__How far along?!'_

_Hisashi thought fast. The cat was already out of the bag, and it seemed as though the news had had a positive effect on Emi's father. Maybe there was a way to leave behind all the paranoia and even patch things up with her family. It was a very optimistic assessment of the situation, and he was fully aware of that. Nevertheless, the slow but earnest smile creeping up on the older man's face encouraged him to go on._

_'…__Four months.'_

_This brought on even more joy to the increasingly relaxed Kenta. With a now broad smile on his face, he landed a light but decisive slap on Hisashi's back, by way of congratulations._

_'__Well done my boy.'_

_The older man picked up the bag of crackers and handed it to him. Confused, the soon to be father took it from him, smiling uncertainly. There was such a contrast between the man who was standing before him now, and the one who had been threatening him just a few minutes before. Was the news of a grandchild so wonderful that he would choose to put everything that had happened in the past? Surely not? But then, Emi had often told him how volatile and unpredictable her father was. Scratching his head, he wondered what his love would make of it all._

_The next three months saw the young couple move into the charming cottage situated on the Hideyoshi Estate. In the end, Kenta had managed to find out their address, and had sent gift after gift, cards and flowers, begging for forgiveness. Never having witnessed this sort of behaviour from her father before, Emi was shocked. She let a month or so go by before deciding to visit her family. Though this resolve had made Hisashi more nervous than he cared to admit, he could not stop her from doing so. What followed this was so wonderful that it bordered on the unbelievable. Not only did Emi's father take every possible course of action to make amends, but he took on all financial responsibility. Hisashi had resisted this at first, not comfortable with the idea, but he was soon convinced. Not having to work meant being able to pursue his education, something which he had dreamed of doing, though he had been too mindful of Emi's feelings to tell her so. Kenta even insisted for the couple to get married. It was clear that he didn't want the family name to be tarnished, but he made sure to accommodate the couple's wishes as much as possible. A quiet ceremony with only family there was all that was needed. Hisashi and Emi did not wish to shout their love from the rooftops. They were happy simply living their lives in peace, surrounded by their loved ones. The simplicity was what they most savoured, after having had to live in fear and anxiety, it certainly was a welcome change. The months passed, Emi's pregnancy ended with no complications, and little Aiko was born. With her mother's big brown eyes, her father's smile and her paternal grandmother's dark blonde hair, Aiko was a sweet thing to behold. Everyone on the estate coveted her and she grew up without a care in the world, completely unaware of the conflict which had existed between her parents and maternal grandparents. Then, on Aiko's fourth birthday, their world was turned upside down, and everything changed, forever._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_The sun shone brightly on the morning of her birthday, May 14__th__. Little Aiko had been gifted with a special dress for the occasion. Unable to contain her joy, she could not remain still. The aquamarine coloured ribbon around her waist fluttered behind her when she skipped about, and the hem of her white dress swirled about her as she twirled, making her feel like a princess. Her mother and father treated her so much like one that it would not have surprised her in the least were she to be told that she had royal blood running through her veins. The small cottage resounded with peals of contagious laughter the entire morning, as Aiko's excitement continued to rise. Every hour or so, a beautifully wrapped parcel would be left on their doorstep, no doubt a well thought out plan devised by her doting grandparents. By noon, Aiko had received four presents already. Though Emi often scolded her parents gently for spoiling the young child, she was thankful for the love they so readily gave her daughter. Smiling, she sighed as she contemplated her little girl's ecstatic expression. Hisashi came to stand beside her, sliding an arm around her waist and burying his face in her neck. _

_'__I love you.'_

_Though the sentence came out muffled, it was filled to the brim with sentiment, so much so that Emi felt her eyes smart a little. Who thought that her life would take such a perfect, happy and blissful turn? Enjoying the warmth of her husband's presence beside her, she stood unmoving for a while. Beams of sunlight came in through the windows, illuminating the cosy living room where Aiko's gifts had been stacked. The whole room bathed in a bright, semi ephemeral glow which enveloped Aiko, reflecting off her dark blonde curls which were held together by a tasteful ribbon. She sat next to the pile of presents, running her fingers lightly over the smooth pink shimmering wrapping paper, smiling at the crinkling sound this caused. She looked so unrestrainedly carefree. Emi's own childhood had been fairly sterile and cold, therefore seeing her own daughter living her child years without any worries or dark clouds hovering over her was a true blessing. Emi silently hoped that her daughter would always retain the joie de vivre she so freely spread around her. _

_A knock on the door shattered the young woman's trance-like state. She hastened to open the door as Aiko rushed towards it also, anticipating the shape of her next parcel. All were delighted to see Kenta on the doorstep. His face stretched in a broad smile, he gave the basket of oranges which he had brought to Hisashi before picking Aiko up with ease._

_'__So, my little girl turns four today? My, soon we will be marrying you off!'_

_Giggling unrestrainedly, Aiko hugged her grandfather tightly. Groaning a little, he put her back down and headed for the dining table in the living room. Aiko, Emi and Hisashi all joined him. The little girl sat on her mother's lap, directly across from her grandfather, whilst Hisashi took a seat next to his gruff father in law. Kenta took an orange from the basket which had been set on the table, and began peeling the tough skin away from it slowly, using a small but ornate knife he had pulled out of his pocket. Emi watched her father split the orange in half, small droplets of sticky juice spraying in all directions as he did so. The sweet fruity aroma soon filled the room. Kenta gave half of his orange to his granddaughter, whilst keeping the rest for himself. Popping a slice into his mouth, he closed his eyes. Oranges were and always had been his absolute favourite fruit. They never failed to put him in a good mood. He knew that Aiko loved them too, and so had decided on that particular fruit to bring for her birthday. It was a pity really, he could already see that she would have bloomed into a beautiful young woman someday. The wooden chair legs scraped on the ground a little harshly as he stood up. He smiled at his daughter._

_'__I have a gift for you too, Emi. I thought it would be unfair for me to shower my granddaughter with gifts without giving you something with which to remember this happy occasion too.'_

_Coming to stand directly behind his daughter, Kenta leaned in, whispering into her ear;_

_'__I hope you like it.'_

_With precision, he brought his pocket knife against Aiko's neck, his hand going from left to right in a decisive motion. Before anyone could react, the little girl's blood splattered everywhere. _

_Time stood still._

_The feel of her daughter's dead weight sinking into her lap, the smell of iron mingled with orange filling her nostrils and the wet sensation of the red liquid running down her arms and hands sent Emi into shock. Her eyes widened beyond what seemed normal, her body began shaking uncontrollably and her mouth quivered. Pale as a sheet of paper, she held onto her daughter's motionless body. Aiko's beautiful white dress was soaked through with the colour of death. Her hair hung limply over her face and the orange slice which she had been eating had fallen out of her hand and onto the floor. _

_This gruesome tableau was Hisashi's last vision as Kenta's knife pierced his body in what seemed to be hundreds of different places. The pain was so intense that he had difficulty formulating if only just one single thought. All he was left with was the pain. The cold, wet, wrenching pain which seemed so at odds in the sunlit living room. Hisashi felt his heart explode. His precious family had just been torn apart in front of his very eyes, and he couldn't bear it. Emi, his wonderful, beautiful and loving wife…Would he truly never be able to see her again, or hear her voice tinkle as she laughed? Was this really the end? They had fought so hard to survive as a family. And his little girl, his precious Aiko…Too young to be taken away from this earth. Hisashi had neither the space nor the energy for anger. As his last breath escaped his lips, he could not tell whether he had died of blood loss or heartbreak. _

_Exhaling a long and calm breath, Kenta wiped his bloody knife on Emi's shirt. He sat beside her, looking at his handiwork before finally speaking to her in low, almost hushed tones. _

_'__You know, if Aiko had been a boy, things might have ended differently. But you could never do anything right, could you? Choosing your own selfish, irresponsible desires over your family's welfare, did you really think I would let you get away with that unpunished? See, these strangers who have been living under my roof for these past four years, they were never your family. Want to know why?'_

_Licking his lips, Kenta could barely restrain the joy which he felt bubbling up inside him._

_'__You and the rat were never married. That's right, the "ceremony" I organised and held for you was fake. Of course, no one knows about this but you and I, I couldn't risk tarnish the family reputation. Therefore, I'm sure you'll be able to keep that little secret between us, like a good little girl. After all, you wouldn't want everybody to know that you were living in sin all this time, with a bastard child to boot, would you? Now, you're going to stand up, and walk out of this fucking delusion which you called a life. You're going to come home with me and start acting like a grown up. This joke ends now.' _

_With that, he attempted to pry Aiko from her mother's arms, to no avail. Emi screamed in anguish, refusing to unwrap her vice-like grip. Her wails resounded in the entire cottage. Seeing that she was beyond reason, Kenta slapped her, the sharp sound bouncing off the cottage walls. This made absolutely no difference, and so he smacked the side of her head with enough force to render her unconscious. Now able to remove Aiko from Emi's limp arms, he dropped the child's body unceremoniously on the floor, before carrying his daughter out of the place she had called home for the past few years. Nodding towards a few loyal servants he had asked to remain outside of the cottage, he motioned for them to clean up the mess. Two burly men carried Hisashi out, whilst a young boy took care of Aiko. Walking into the cottage, he had to supress a wave of nausea. The dark and sticky blood painted a horrific scene. Spotting the little girl's body, he made his way towards her with his sleeve over his nose and mouth. The smell was just overwhelming. Perhaps more than the grim sight which had greeted him. Kneeling beside her, he offered a small prayer, his heart full of sadness. Though he had not spent much time with her, her smile had always been the highlight of his day. He thought about his employer's inhumane acts, and wondered whether he should go to the police with what he knew. No, that was foolish. Not only would he be tracked down and killed for it, everyone knew the terrifying man had all of Japan in his pocket, including the authorities. As he ruminated on what he should do, the young boy thought he noticed something peculiar. There seemed to be the smallest of movements, faint enough to look like an illusion, but it was definitely there. Aiko's chest rose ever so slightly. Hurriedly bringing the back of his hand close to her mouth, he gasped as he felt the tiniest wisp of air caress it. She was somehow still alive! Just about! Rushing to his feet, he knew what he had to do. No matter how complicated it might be, he had to get her to a hospital, and fast. Searching frantically around the cottage, he finally found a little money and hoped it would be enough to catch a taxi to the nearest hospital. Retrieving Aiko's coat from the rack near the front door, he quickly mopped up any excess blood from her body with the paper towels he found in the kitchen, before carefully wrapping her in her coat. The last thing he needed was for the taxi driver to think he was carrying a dead body to the hospital. With a little difficulty, he gathered Aiko into his arms and headed for the estate's exit. He had to be quick on his feet, particularly given the fact that there were servants walking about a little everywhere, he couldn't risk being seen. He had to get Aiko to a hospital, and in time! Gritting his teeth and ignoring his tired arms, the young boy made it safely out of the estate. _

_Half an hour later, the doctors rushed the young girl to the operating theatre. Though unable to stay as his prolonged absence would raise questions, he ran to his sister's home, hurriedly explaining the situation to her before begging on his knees for her to take care of the little girl. She had suffered such horrifying injustice, he knew that without ample care and love, Aiko would wither away. Though reluctant at first, his sister accepted his pleads. The story he had told was too heart wrenching for her to do otherwise. As she made her way to the hospital, Sam returned to the estate with a heart too heavy for his young mind. _


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The sluggish ticking of the clock was all that could be heard. Aiko reached out for her cup of now almost cold tea, and took a few quick gulps. Her throat had become dry after telling such a long and painful story. Her mother's experiences had been carefully recorded in her diary right up until that point. Following the tragedy however, her writing became erratic and increasingly difficult to understand. Aiko wasn't sure how to proceed. She recalled the many nights spent at her desk with her mother's journal open before her, trying to piece together the events following her 4th birthday. The only thing Aiko could be fully certain of was that Emi really had mentally eroded away. It was easy to see from the disjointed sentences, lack of punctuation and repeated words that her precious family's death had taken everything away from her. Nevertheless, Aiko was able to make some sense of it all, and had long ago come to a conclusion about what had really transpired in the few years following the grim event. Feeling all eyes on her, she pulled herself away from her thoughts, took a deep breath, and continued the account.

_Seeing her own daughter's empty eyes felt like a dagger to the heart. No mother could bear to witness their child's life leave their body. Emi had been such a beautiful person, and yet, all that remained was a hollow shell of a woman. A ghost. Breathing in sharply, Manami momentarily let go of the tapestry she was working on and looked at her finger. A small drop of blood surfaced, like a small glittering bead. Wiping it away on her dress absentmindedly, she resumed her work, being more careful with the needle. Her husband had rebuked any attempt on her part to find out exactly what had happened on her grand-daughter's 4__th__ birthday, 3 months ago. The fact that he was constantly away on some business or other made it fairly difficult to question him. Whenever she did manage to get a hold of him however, he would just smile, as if recalling a memory fondly, and wave his hand about as one would to get rid of an annoying fly. That is what she had become to this man; an annoyance. Left in this impossibly large house on her own with only the servants to keep her company, Manami had begun to feel trapped. Her daughter's return to her childhood home had at first seemed like a breath of fresh air, but the poor mistress of the Hideyoshi estate soon realised that it was not so. Silence still permeated the suffocating air, made all the more intolerable by her husband's increasingly frequent and prolonged absences and her daughter's lack of vivacity. Shaking her head to disperse the thick and depressing dark cloud which had begun to gather in her thoughts, Manami cleared her throat. Perhaps today would be the day._

_'__Emi, darling, why don't you go out for a little stroll? The sun is out and it would do you some good.'_

_As always, Manami held her breath waiting for an answer that would never come. After too many seconds had passed, she sighed and simply looked at the figure she once knew to be her daughter. Emi had lost an incredible amount of weight – not surprising given that she refused to eat almost any food sent up to her room. For some reason, she had also developed a strangely intense aversion to fruits, in particular oranges. After having witnessed Emi have a nervous breakdown at the sight of a bowl of fruits being brought to her, the servants knew never to repeat the mistake. Manami's daughter stood in front of the big bay window, appearing to be watching a few robins flitting about, letting the wind carry their merry tunes to whomever would care to listen. In reality, her eyes were glazed over, and the shattered pieces of her mind only allowed her to replay the same scene over and over again. It had been three months of constant torture, unable to forget, and yet unable to alter events. What had before been a simple orange had turned into a sticky, tangy, bloody and unbearable memory. Aiko…Hisashi…both gone in a matter of seconds. Her mother's words glided over her, leaving no trace, as did anyone's nowadays. Emi had absolutely no interest in what anyone had to say. And her father…no…Kenta. From that day, any and all ties had been cut from that man. If she could rid her own blood from the contamination that is that monster, she would have done it a long time ago. In fact, she had contemplated letting herself bleed out, and watch the disgusting yet irrefutable link she had to him flow steadily out of her. Though it meant certain death, she couldn't think of a better way to leave this ungodly world behind than by cleansing herself. She had become sure that if there was any kind of heaven out there, she would not be allowed in as long as _his_ blood ran through her veins._

_A few months went by, seeing no change in Emi's state, much to her mother's despair. Manami even stopped attempting to communicate with her daughter, instead keeping a watchful eye on her at all times. Then, one morning, Kenta brought a pleasant enough man into the household, and everything changed. The two men had apparently been frequenting each other for a while, and it was decided that he should marry into the family. Manami knew better than to argue with her husband about this, despite the fact that he had made the decision completely on his own, without seeking input from anyone. Whether he was oblivious to his daughter's state, or chose to completely ignore it was something she could not discern. Instead, she watched as preparations were made for a grand and lavish wedding to be held on the estate. The man himself, Riichi Ubasaki, seemed nice. A little mellow perhaps, but overall, everything a smart and educated man was expected to be. Although his family had heard a few unsettling rumours here and there concerning the bride to be, the family's fortune was enough to ease their minds. Eager to grasp the prospective benefits, they all but pushed Riichi towards the match, not really giving a second thought as to his own feelings upon the matter. He himself had only been shown pictures of his soon to be wife. She looked very pretty, he thought, if not a little intimidating with her long dark hair and sullen expression. Sure, she was not what he would have chosen for his own self, but he counted himself as blessed. His life hadn't been particularly difficult after all, and the Hideyoshi family was well known for their incredible wealth and socialite status. Anyone refusing an opportunity to forge a link with this family would be crazy. And so, it was with a cheerful expression and optimistic outlook that Riichi unknowingly entered the folds of what would become a darker story still._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_The wedding was spectacular. Sake flowed freely as the 500 invited guests, all from prominent backgrounds, mingled and conversed in a way only rich people can. Sam had never seen so many upturned noses and arrogant eye rolls as he had that evening. Having been given the task of attending to the distribution of drinks, he found himself forever running back and forth to refill a glass or bring a new bottle of whatever the guest fancied at that moment. Although the sun was beginning to slowly set, the air was warm and fragrant, and everyone was more than happy to remain on the estate grounds, amongst the carefully placed flowers and trees. Everything around was bathed in a magical amber glow; lights had been strung up between those, and jars filled with candles hung from various branches, giving off a beautiful glimmer. Tables had been set out for the auspicious occasion, draped in brilliantly white material. Yes, the scene was indeed spectacular, but the bride did not seem to notice or care about any of it. In fact, she avoided any sort of conversation, simply vaguely nodding along to whatever people were saying to her. Nine times out of ten, this included never ending congratulations and a remark or two about carrying on the Hideyoshi line. Emi felt nothing. Despite what was being said, the man standing beside her was not her husband. She had never even seen his face until today. _He_ was not her husband. Her husband had a kind smile that reached his eyes, and moppy hair which grew every which way. This man only laughed with his mouth, and his hair was cut short. She wanted to yell out and push him away from her, but she was already digging deep into her reserves to find the strength to stay standing. It was for the same reason that she endured the intimacy he sought from her. Every night following the wedding was torture. His touch felt wrong in every way, and yet she remained silent. Riichi took said silence for tolerance, and although he still felt as if he was forcing himself on her every single time, he thought it his duty to fulfil his marriage vows. However, being on relatively unfamiliar territory made it all the more difficult. His father in law had made it clear that Emi was to stay put, and Riichi would move into the estate. His wife's strangeness was something which had taken him a good few months to grow accustomed to. However, with time he slowly learned to interpret the slight gestures she sometimes sent his way, and accepted that he would never have a 'normal' relationship with her. It was clear that she had undergone some sort of ordeal; the light in her eyes had long been extinguished, and nobody was born this way. No, life had done that to her. This suspicion led him to treating her as kindly as he could, drawing on patience and understanding to help him do this. _

_On a particularly violently cold afternoon, Emi stood in front of her en-suite bathroom mirror, paralysed in fear. Her blood had seemingly frozen in her veins, and cold sweat slowly made its way down the small of her back. This couldn't be happening. Shaking, she realised that this was the first time in a long while since she had felt anything other than the habitual emptiness. Still, what she experienced now was little better. The face looking back at her was, to say the least, terrifying. Deep, dark and hollow circles surrounded her eyes, attesting to the minute amount of sleep she was getting. Surely her body couldn't handle such a traumatic turn of events. There had to be a mistake. Emi wasn't sure how long she stayed in that bathroom, but eventually, Riichi came to find her. Tired of hearing her name on his lips, pleading for her to come out, she unlocked the door. It took him a while to see it, her fingers making it difficult to be noticed at first. Perceiving his eyes focus on it, Emi's grasp tightened. Maybe if no one found it, it wouldn't be real. Her thinking was reminiscent of a child's playing hide and seek; if I can't see them, they can't see me; I cease to exist. Unfortunately, Riichi did see what she had been attempting the hide from him. She saw his facial expression change to one of confusion, followed by delight. Of course he would be happy, why wouldn't he? In fact, following an uneventful year mainly filled with a mixture of sighs, sadness and indifference, Riichi would welcome whole heartedly the arrival of the newest member of the family. As the months passed, preparations were made in the estate to accommodate a baby's needs. An entire set of rooms was fully remodelled, and an excessive amount of furniture purchased. To Emi, the being slowly developing inside her wasn't really there, and it wasn't really hers. Seeing the buzz her pregnancy had created made her wonder how clueless those around her were. Could they not see that she did not want it, any of it? She gritted her teeth in anger as her mother informed her that Kenta had arranged for a scan to be performed within the next few days. She knew that his only concern revolved around the baby's sex. That was all that mattered to him. From then on, right up until the scan, she silently prayed for the being growing inside of her to be female so as to bitterly disappoint him. Would Kenta take this one too, just as he had taken her precious Aiko away? The sonographer's words pulled her out of her thoughts. _

_'__Congratulations m'am, it's a boy!'_

_The words resounded in her head. Kenta must have been blessed with some twisted, cruel kind of luck. Looking down at her stomach, Emi shut her eyes tightly. The dreadful birthday scene rushed back into her mind, and she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Despite feeling her heart break apart for the thousandth time, she remained silent. The sonographer smiled at her, taking her pain as a sign of happiness at the news. Soon, the entire estate was celebrating the long awaited heir who would hopefully take over the family business from its current owner. In that same spirit, the yet to be born baby was named Katsurou Hideyoshi. Riichi was thrilled about soon becoming the father to a son, but not so thrilled about the name. Having not been consulted, nor given a choice but to tolerate it, he couldn't voice his thoughts. Hideyoshi…He understood why his son was given Emi's family name, but it wounded him. No son of his would carry his own family name, Ubasaki. Being an only child, he anticipated this to mean the end of his line, engulfed by the Hideyoshi's ridiculous prominence. It was clear that his father in law ruled the estate in every single way; crossing or defying him would end in certain catastrophe. His business came before anything else it seems. Or more specifically, the reputation of the Hideyoshi name came before all else. Riichi had witnessed first-hand the man's controlling nature and tendency to put aside anything unrelated to business. The kind of business that it was, however, was something kept very closely guarded. All Riichi knew was that somehow, an incredible amount of networking alongside careful planning had brought this family's name to the forefront of Japanese society. It became clear that this achievement was made on the back of many people's sacrifices, including the man's own family. Still, he wasn't going to let this small unfortunate occurrence dull the joy which he felt at the prospect of having a son to love and cherish. _

_Nine months went by in a flash, and soon Emi was battling through the horrific tearing pangs of childbirth. She didn't remember her darling child Aiko's birth being filled with such raw and bloody pain. The being which had steadily grown inside her was now attempting to kill her, she was sure of it. From the moment her water had broken, everything became a blur. Vague flashes of blue lights, sounds of heart monitors, Riichi's encouraging yet grating motivational outbursts and orders being barked across a sterile white room was as much as she remembered from those few hours. For the most part, the searing pain took over. It was absolutely unbearable, and she would have been happy to die on the hospital bed if it meant putting an end to it all. Finally, after what seemed to be an infinite number of hours, baby Katsurou came into the world. Emi was not given a chance to hold him, the baby was presented to Kenta, as had been requested early on. He was eventually forced to return the baby to his mother, but not before gruffly kissing his grandson on the forehead. Anyone watching from the outside would never have been able to guess the extent of this family's dysfunctionality. Emi looked down at the small and frail bundle she had been given to hold in her arms. As the nurses helped her to successfully begin breastfeeding him, subsequently watching with smiles on their faces, she contemplated the creases which ran down from the baby's eyes to the bottom of his cheeks, the tiny fisted hands and wiggling toes. She looked at the way his chest almost imperceptibly rose and fell to a silent rhythm as he drew sustenance from her. _

_Nothing. Emi felt absolutely nothing. _


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_From the very beginning, Kenta personally saw to Katsurou's upbringing. His grandchild's comings and goings, his diet and his hobbies were all dictated by him. The little heir to the fortune never left his side. The only instance Katsurou was permitted some time with his parents was when the head of the Hideyoshi family had to go on a business trip outside of Japan. At first, Riichi tried taking this gracefully, but when his son began addressing Kenta as 'father' at the tender age of two, he had to speak up. Walking towards his father in law's study, he ignored the tremor in his bones which told him to turn back. Squaring his shoulders, he entered. Kenta simply looked at him with raised eyebrows. After a few seconds, Riichi cleared his throat and began to speak._

_'__I hope that you will not take offence, but – '_

_At this last word, his father in law sat back in his chair_

_'__But? This better not be a waste of my time.'_

_Unnerved by the older man's already foul mood, Riichi wondered whether he should even broach the subject. The steely eyes boring into his skull certainly made him think it wasn't a good idea. Still, he chose to test the waters._

_'__The relationship that you have with Katsurou…'_

_'__What about my son?'_

_This caused Riichi's heart to beat a little faster in anger. How dare the old man insult him in this way? Newly fuelled, he tried again._

_'__I don't appreciate the fact that _my_ son is not allowed any time to spend with his own parents.'_

_Kenta chuckled, which was not a good sign. The powerful man let a few seconds pass before he replied in a measured and deliberately slow manner._

_'__Your son? And who would that be?'_

_The mocking question made Riichi's blood boil in his veins. So much so in fact, that he was unable to think clearly and find an answer to the semi rhetorical question which had just been thrown his way. Kenta took this opportunity to make himself and his position on the issue quite clear._

_'__If, and I stress this, if you were a fraction of the man "your son", as you call him, will grow up to be under my guidance, I would allow him to spend time with you. However, from the moment that we met, I knew that you were nothing more than a faithful lapdog who would do anything to please his parents. You lack any raw, primal masculine traits and instincts. Katsurou has a backbone whilst you do not, and he has barely passed the age of two. Are you not ashamed of the poor excuse for a man that you are?'_

_Chuckling once more, Kenta took particular pleasure in delivering this last, stinging insult._

_'__At least one good thing came out of you. I say one, but I'm sure my daughter's lineage and genes has much more to do with my boy's promising brilliance than you ever will. Now, be a good dog and roll over out of my study.'_

_Riichi's legs were shaking, and part of him wanted nothing more than to leave this overly lavish office and its occupier behind, but his pride had other ideas. Walking away would mean taking insulting orders from Kenta, just as a dog might from its master, and he wasn't prepared to do that. Calming the angry tremor in his voice, he expressed the observations he had made over the past few years in a low, almost hushed tone._

_'__If I'm a lapdog, then what does that make you? A flesh eating monster? Your ruthless lack of love for your family has cost you dear. You think I don't see how your daughter avoids you at every turn? How her eyes inflame at the mention of your name, or how your own wife is a stranger to you? You talk of family and values as if you are a Saint, when all you really have ever been is the Devil himself.'_

_With this, the young man turned on his heel, and exited the room on his own terms. As for Kenta, he had no intention of relinquishing the custody of his grandson. Katsurou was his, and his alone. Besides, Emi was too far gone to even care about the boy, which made it all the more easy for him to dictate Katsurou's education._

_Time went by as slowly as it ever would for Emi. She felt every second of every day linger sluggishly like a small raindrop sliding languidly along the window. To her, eternity in hell seemed like a preferable option to this bottomless, dark void in which she was stuck. Still, seconds turned to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, and soon Katsurou's fourth birthday loomed ahead. The trauma and pain which she had somewhat successfully locked away threatened to rush back. As the festivities approached, the similarities with the day of the dreadful tragedy began piling up, and she couldn't bear it. Finally, the forever mocking ticking of the clock brought her to her son's fourth birthday. Waking up that morning, she could have sworn that the sun shone brighter and more aggressively than it ever had. Shielding her eyes from the burning and blinding light, she slowly swung her legs around, and sat on the edge of her bed. With her head hanging low and her hair tumbling down, Emi felt every bit as bedraggled as she looked. Her head ached and her stomach was in a knot as she tried her best to block out the flashbacks which had become increasingly frequent these past few days. The young woman breathed in the musty, sun soaked, sickening air in an attempt to calm the hysteria she felt rising from her very soul. In the distance, the echoes of Katsurou's laughter sounded as his grandfather delivered yet another present at the little boy's door, just as he had done for Emi's little girl. She had been so excited at the prospect of opening those parcels, but she never got to it in the end. Emi's knuckles whitened as she gripped the bedframe in a mixture of grief and uncontainable anger. Why? Why had fate chosen to spare this spoilt child whilst burying her treasure? What had her baby done to deserve dying at the hands of her own family? Why was life so relentlessly cruel? Emi involuntarily let out a long and drawn out melancholic wail. The almost inhuman sound bounced off her bedroom walls before returning to her, amplified. With the echoes of her own sadness filling her ears, her heart skipped a beat, then two, then three. Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, the grief stricken woman obeyed her body's need for a change of pace. Ignoring the fact that she was only wearing a thin, white night gown, Emi abruptly stood up, and although she did not yet know where she was headed, she felt her stride being fuelled by a purpose. What the nature of this purpose was however, she was going to have to find out on the way. As always, her mind was full of her daughter. Her brilliant smiles, laughing eyes and sweet gestures. Emi's vision began to blur, and it was at that moment that she realised she had started to cry. Letting the tears roll freely across her cheeks, she let herself enter a strange sort of trance, powered by the haze of colours dancing before her eyes and she walked faster and faster along the great mansion's winding corridors. With a rush in her veins, and rhythm in her heart, Emi caught snatches of _that_ man's voice. Kenta, the man who had torn apart her entire world. The man who had stifled her dear mother's life before she had even reached her deathbed. The man who mocked her with his existence every, single, cursed second that she spent alive. _

_All at once, she knew what she had to do._

_Armed with nothing but her bare hands, she walked into her child's bedroom. Sure enough, Kenta stood there with a smile on his face, which only served to increase Emi's grief fuelled anger. Following his line of vision, her own eyes fell on Katsurou. She drank in the boy's soft, sandy hair so like her little girl's, his dark eyes and wide smile. Had Emi possessed even a shred of motherly instinct for this boy, her resolve might have come undone right there and then. However, that had been ripped away by her own parent, and instead, she found herself pouncing at the opportunity to hurt him, just as he had hurt her. Revenge. A word which had previously never truly come to the forefront of her mind now left an addictively tangy taste on her tongue. Repeating the word over and over and over again in her head, she found that she could not get enough of it. Revenge, Revenge, Revenge. If its mere notion felt this good, this intoxicating, then seeking it out must feel even better. It was with this disjointed trail of thought that Emi sprung past Kenta and lunged herself at Katsurou, wrapping her long and slender fingers around his neck. She squeezed, and squeezed._

_'__Emi!'_

_Kenta smacked his daughter repeatedly in an effort to throw her off balance. However, determined to see her desperate act through, Emi held on tightly with a vice like grip. Kenta yelled, punching, kicking and pushing her. No matter how hard he did so, her hands remained on her son's neck. The little boy's large dark eyes never left his mother's, as he felt his life force slowly leave his small body. His mother…the woman he had barely seen and did not know. She had such kind eyes, and such nice hair. Pretty, she was so pretty. Katsurou felt something wet fall on his forehead, but did not care. His mother was finally paying attention to him; she knew who he was. Even if her first touch would end up being her last, he was happy that he got to experience this lethal embrace. Emi saw the child's eyes roll backwards, and her hands began relaxing. Suddenly, she felt her body being jerked to the side, her own neck bending sharply to the right in the process. Kenta had all but thrown her across the room. The vein on his right temple throbbed furiously, and his face was a deep shade of red. With a demonic look in his eyes, he advanced towards Emi, who was slumped on the ground. She felt his breath on her face as he bent down and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking brutally upwards. Menacingly, he growled;_

_'__I should have killed you too.'_

_With that, he forced her head down on the wooden floor with merciless force. Emi felt her nose shatter, but smiled all the same when she lifted her bloody head to face him. Kenta, not usually frazzled, felt his breath catch in his throat almost imperceptibly at the sight. Her eyes burned with so much hatred, and the blood running fast down her face shone a bright, ruby read, mangled with strands of brilliantly dark hair. Before he was able to say any further, he felt a blinding pain pierce through his body. Looking down, he saw Emi's hand wrapped around his own pocketknife, the one he had ironically used to kill her imposturous family and religiously kept in his left pocket. It was now the cause of his own undoing. After seeing the crazed look in her eyes, Kenta was sure that she would not stop until he had breathed his last. Emi did not. The glint of the pocket knife egging her on, she stabbed her father for all of the offenses he had caused against her, she stabbed for her loved ones, she stabbed for the loss of lives and happiness, she stabbed and cried, oblivious to her son's inert body twitching a few metres away from her. _

_Hearing the commotion, Riichi ran to his son's room. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight which greeted him. Dark, sticky blood spattered everywhere, his wife crouched over a dead body with blood on her face, hands, hair, neck and clothes. Feeling nauseous, Riichi bent over to overcome the sickening wave which wracked through his body. The smell alone made him want to retch. Then, his eyes fell on the small body which lay in the centre of the room, surrounded by knocked over presents. Crying out, Riichi ran to his son. Before he was able to reach him, Emi moved impossibly fast, and all he saw was her shimmering brown eyes before his life left him. He thought of how in the end, he had still been kept away from his son. At least Kenta's wish was fulfilled._

_Emi shivered as a strange feeling enveloped her. Someone was here. Turning around slowly, she readied herself to face whoever stood behind her. Nothing. Turning back, she took in the ghastly scene which was laid out before her. Emi stood there for what seemed to her forever. She stood and looked at her father's still body, her late husband's lifeless form, and her son's unmoving shape. Breathing in the scent of iron, she smiled in a way she hadn't done since her little one had died. Now she could join the loves of her life in eternal bliss. It did not occur to her that the acts she had just committed might steer her towards a less favourable outcome when it came to the afterlife. No, as far as she was concerned, she was doing what was right for her and her family of three. Dropping the knife on the blood soaked wooden floor of her son's bedroom, she walked out. With every step she took, Emi felt increasingly lighter. Her previously white night gown stuck to her skin like a clear testament as to what she had done written in crimson. Ignoring horrified stares from two or three maids, she walked serenely across the Estate grounds to the small abode she used to share with her family, all those years ago. Screams rang out from the big mansion, but her senses were all geared towards what lay before her. Opening the front door, she stepped in, leaving bloody footprints in her wake. Everything had been cleaned up, leaving no trace of the terrible incident which had occurred there. Walking to the kitchen, Emi let her fingers drag across the light wood of the table, leaving a trail in the dust. Yes, she couldn't imagine a better place to die. The now dusty windows let in filtered sunlight, the warmth of which she enjoyed on her face. There may be no physical evidence of her having ever lived here, but her memories were enough. Surrounded in a golden haze, she reached behind a stone which protruded slightly beside the cooker. Maybe there was something left after all. Her hands closing around the orange lighter, Emi smiled. She would set those painful memories on fire, and purge all evil from her life. The only way she could move forward was to cleanse herself from all that was bad, shed the cracked skin of this world's Emi, and return to her loved ones in a pure and reborn state. Surely the Heavens would not be able to refuse a cleansed and purified mother wanting to be reunited with her child. Spotting a half broken wooden chair, she took a hold of it and tore apart what she could. Full of faith and love, the young woman walked lazily into the living room and lay down on the pieces of wood she had arranged on the floor. Lighting the small lighter, she contemplated the flame for a while before bringing it close to the wood. As the flames spread, Emi inhaled the acrid smoke, her hair forming a blackened halo around her head. Although the blistering heat scorched her skin and the ash and smoke filled her lungs, she readily welcomed her imminent demise. The past few years had been an absolute heart wrenching torment. But today, she had regained control over her life and her death. No more would _he_ interfere. She was finally going to be able to escape the hell that _he_ had so cold heartedly constructed for her, and once more join those who had always been more dear to her than life itself. As the fire's tendrils danced around her, with her, she smiled, relieved to finally find an end to the nightmare. She closed her eyes, as a distant voice called out to her._

_'__No! No! She's alive! Please….alive!'_

_As the words sunk in, the peace she had felt until now was shattered and replaced by a desperate horror whose cold, steel claws dug into her with unrestrained force. It was too late. Too late._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The dreadful tale had finally ended, leaving every single person wide eyed. Mai felt her lips tremble as she remembered the blistering heat mixed in with Emi's despair in her final moments. It all made perfect sense now; perfect but tragic sense. No wonder the Estate was haunted. Mai looked at Aiko, her heart aching for the poor woman. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, Emi's little girl forced a smile on her face whilst ignoring the stinging in her eyes and lump in her throat. She had never told anybody about her family's awful fate, and now that she had, she felt the pain as vividly as if she had witnessed it herself. Haruka gently put an arm around the poor woman, whose tears now flowed freely. There was a clear scar on Aiko's neck which she hadn't noticed before; looking at it gave her shivers. How could anyone be so ruthlessly cold that they would slaughter a small child…? Their own grandchild at that. It was absolutely incomprehensible, and yet it was the truth. The loaded silence continued for a few more minutes before Masako jumped up with a strange look on her face. Irritated, Haruka was about to tell her to sit back down, that now wasn't the time for theatricals when the TV celebrity spoke in a clear voice.

'There's someone in here with us. The…they mean harm!'

Naru frowned at this. It wasn't uncommon for spirits to be drawn to whatever links may be keeping them from passing on. Aiko was probably the link, but who would want her harm…? Crossing his arms, he concluded that it could only be Kenta. Glancing at Mai, he looked to see if she was in any immediate danger; her cheeks had colour and her movements were just as quick as before. Satisfied, he turned to Masako and asked;

'Is that all you can sense, harmful intent?'

The medium lifted her head up towards the ceiling, her short hair falling back as she did so. Closing her eyes, the young woman tried connecting with the feelings which had so suddenly permeated the air. Ravenous anger pierced through her like a rusty blade, setting her lungs on fire. Gasping, she opened her eyes.

'It's so strong. I can barely handle it…I don't think we should remain here.'

On his end, Yakumo looked around for any pale spectres. If one was here, he should be able to see it, plain as day. Looking up at the ceiling, he half expected to see a frightful vision on all fours, crawling upside down as they so often did in movies. No such thing came into his view however.

'Miss me?'

Every single hair on his body shot upwards. Clenching his jaw, Yakumo turned around to face his demon.

Sure enough, there he was, his white hair flowing eerily around him as his red eyes shone maliciously beneath the dark glasses he always wore. A playful smile tugging at his lips, he turned his head to the side, intentionally appearing inquisitive as he fired yet another insulting question.

'What's the matter, son? Not happy to see me?'

Although all everyone else could see was Yakumo's increasingly disturbed behaviour, Haruka knew exactly what was happening. Yakumo only had this expression on his face when his father was around. She did not know what the white haired monster was saying to his son, but she wasn't going to stand around helplessly. However, before she was able to take a single step, the air was brutally knocked out of her lungs. Falling to the ground, she held her stomach, where the blow had been administered. Mai rushed to her side whilst Lin headed towards Naru. Something was going terribly wrong.

'I see your beloved has met my new friend! We exchanged a few pleasantries and came to an agreement whilst you were all busy playing detectives. See, he knows what betrayal coming from a child feels like, he knows how poignant the disappointment can be…'

Yakumo's blood ran cold in his veins at his father's words. He didn't need an introduction to know that the spirit standing just behind Haruka was Kenta Hideyoshi. With a twisted scowl, the former business guru raised a hand and struck his victim across the face. Mai screamed as Haruka was yet again thrown off balance.

'See, this is how it's going to work, you will do exactly as I say, or this will be only the beginning of a long and terrifying nightmare for the both of you.'

Amidst the tumult, Naru remained as composed as ever. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but it was clear that Yakumo stood dead in the centre of it all. Taking advantage of the chaos, he slid beside Mai whilst Lin kept a watchful eye in Yakumo's direction.

'What is going on?'

Mai, who had only just been told by Haruka, simply repeated the latter's quick summary of the situation.

'Yakumo's father…Unkai I think Haru said he was called…he wants to merge with him or something…he wants to come back to life, but Yakumo won't allow that, so instead his father is targeting Haru.'

'So who is Yakumo talking to if his father is busy tormenting Haruka?'

At this, Mai frowned. Who indeed. Naru wasted no time thinking about this. The solution to their current conundrum was not difficult to find – they simply needed to perform an exorcism and get rid of the malevolent spirit. Motioning to Masako, Ayako, John and Monk, he gestured for them to gather around. Unkai easily guessed what they were preparing to do, and in a flash had an impossibly heavy, oak bookcase tear itself from the wall and float freely to position itself directly above Aiko's head. The poor woman, who had remained seated in shock let out a strangled scream as she looked upwards.

Unkai chuckled as he made the bookcase dance a little above a frightened Aiko.

'If they so much as utter a sound, make no mistake, this rather hefty piece of furniture will come crashing down on her.'

The sentence had barely left his father's lips that Yakumo turned to the rest with palms facing upward, signalling for them to remain still. He could see Kenta hovering around Haruka like a lumbering bear, ready to strike with a big swipe of his paw.

'Good. Now, there is something I wanted to ask you.'

'No.'

The white haired spirit countered his son's premature answer with a raise of his eyebrows before drawling out;

'But you didn't hear my question!'

'I didn't need to. The answer is no.'

'Well…I'm not sure you know what I'm about to ask.'

Deliberately slowly, Unkai walked forward until he was mere inches away from Yakumo's face. If the undead still breathed, the young detective would have been able to feel his father's breath on his cheeks.

'How do you think poor Katsurou felt? I mean, when his deranged mother wrapped her murderous fingers around her own child's throat and squeezed all the air out of it? Hmm? And to be later murdered unfairly by this same, deranged woman…Oh what a shame…'

Yakumo wanted nothing more than to punch that self-satisfied smirk into the depths of hell, along with the face it was attached to. Though he had made progress, he had still not fully come to terms with what had happened to him all those years ago. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could still feel the ghost of her icy fingertips on his throat. Shaking his head a little, he recentred his thoughts on the good things, the positive things which had come out of his life. He had made friends, even a family, and possibly found…love. His father was wrong. Life was worth living. Head high, he held his father's cruel, red gaze piercing through his glasses.

'I've moved on. You can't get to me anymore.'

'Ah, that would be nice, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, it's not quite true.'

At this last word, the distance between the heavy bookcase and Aiko's head shortened rapidly. Yakumo heard Unkai's threat loud and clear.

'Alright, alright, alright!'

The bookcase stopped inches away from Aiko's head. Yakumo didn't want to give himself up to his father's wishes, but he couldn't justify putting his own life over and innocent person's. Particularly when said person had been subjected to a horrific things all their life. Looking at Haruka, who was still shadowed by Kenta, he tried taking in every single detail which made her who she was, mentally etching into his memory the myriad of little perfections he had come to adore. As much as he had wanted to believe that he had finally broken free from his father's clutches, he had been far too naïve to think that the monster would not persist in tormenting him until he obtained what he wanted – ownership of Yakumo's body and soul. If the young detective did not comply, he knew that Umkai would not hesitate in crushing Aiko and using Haruka as leverage, and he could not allow that to happen. He looked away from the woman he had come to love more than his own self, refusing to let her see the change which was about to take place. No time for goodbyes; taking a deep breath, Yakumo shut himself down, the way he had done so many times before. His heart hardened and emotions were locked away as efficiently as if they had never existed. Turning to his father, he waited.

'Are you ready, son?'

Yakumo nodded curtly, devoid of fear.

'Ah, and before I forget; that butler you all wondered about, I've locked him up nicely in the basement. It's not use looking at me like that, he's alive. I just didn't want him helping your investigation too much. You understand; I needed as much time with you as possible. Now that I have you, I have no need for the pitiable butler. They can have him.'

Unkai waved his hand vaguely before stepping closer to his son. Looking deep into his eyes, he smiled as he brought a hand up to his boy's neck. Yakumo could feel the faintest of whispers brush his collarbone. A silent shiver coursed through his body; this was probably the last sight which would greet his eyes. Yet, he needed to tell them about Sam. He tried opening his lips, but a dull headache began eating away at the back of his head. Frowning, he looked past his father's head which took up almost his entire field of vision, attempting to focus on a window in the distance instead. He had to remain conscious, lucid. The window began moving slightly, and it took Yakumo a few moments to realise that his vision was beginning to blur rapidly. A strange, tingling sensation rose from his toes to his knees, and amplified before spreading to the rest of his body. Seeing nothing but a dazzling, bright white, he closed his eyes, and let the slow, creeping void slowly root itself into his very soul. The noise around him gradually abated, leaving behind a deafening silence. Nothing. The absolute absence which now surrounded him was so overwhelming that he felt like his heart would have exploded, had he still a heart. It was a terribly ironic invasive feeling, not being _attached_ to anything. Yakumo, if he could even still qualify as something requiring a name, felt like he had been reduced to a mere floating presence. Thoughts on a cloud – it certainly sounded tantalisingly relaxing, but the harsh reality was that this heavy, crushing silence did not even allow for a cloud. A few seconds into this nothingness, his thoughts began fracturing, coming and going in sharp bursts of confused hues, crashing like watercolour waves. A dizzying kaleidoscope of blinding, shining, iridescent blues, greens, yellows, oranges and reds appeared, dancing about. Yakumo couldn't tell if he was watching the colours or _was_ one of them, and suddenly, it did not matter any longer. Pulled and stretched from side to side, he suddenly felt as if several tonnes of iron had been clasped onto his wrists and ankles. The sheer heaviness forced him downwards. Gravity was not kind, and his body shattered on the ground in a millions pieces. Blinking, he shielded his eyes from the burning light as a crashing cacophony of sounds greeted his ears. Completely disorientated, it took him a few seconds to understand the scene unfolding before him. Masako, Ayako, John and Monk stood inches away from his slumped body in a semi-circle, holding hands and chanting strange words. A strong breeze cause Ayako's brilliantly red hair to fly around her like flames, as it tugged on everyone's clothes unceremoniously. All four of them were fixated on a single point located behind Yakumo. The latter followed their eye line only to be greeted by a surprising but familiar sight.

His father, emanating pure rage, was being held back by the man who had already come to the rescue once before – Emi's lover Hisashi. The young man's arms were tightly locked around Unkai who had resorted to flailing around as a devil might. On their right, Kenta had taken it upon himself to attack Hisashi with as much might as possible, punching his victim mercilessly anywhere he could reach to no avail. Aiko's father was determined. As Kenta became increasingly violent, another spirit appeared. Yakumo watched in awe as Emi taunted her father away from her lover. The older man blinded beyond all hope by rage began swinging his fists from side to side, his hits missing their marks ninety-eight percent of the time. In between avoiding incoming punches, Emi would steal a glance or two at her beloved daughter Aiko. Yakumo could see tears pooling in her eyes, and his heart, which he had forcibly hardened, came back to life, aching for the tragic mother. In this time, the strong breeze had picked up however, and before he could think of a way to help, all three spirits started to pale. As they rapidly decreased in consistency, Yakumo watched his father's face silently. Behind him, the four friends were still chanting, louder than before, sending shivers down everybody's spine as they did so. Though the tongue they employed was foreign, the power behind it remained unmistakeable. Still, the young detective's eyes stayed fixed upon his father. With every passing second, the paler Unkai got, the freer Yakumo felt. In the last second before completely disappearing, Hisashi suddenly released his hold on Unkai, and reached out for the love of his life. Linking hands, a smile dawned on both of their faces as an enraged Kenta attempted to fight the inevitable end which was in store for him with his fists.

Then, nothing.

Aiko cherished the short silence that followed more than she had cherished anything in life. Just before the violent wind had suddenly flat lined, she had felt a presence so warm and comforting wrap itself around her that it had sent her into a giddy sort of happiness for the few moments that it had lasted. Although she now felt colder than she had before, she took great joy in thinking that maybe, just maybe, she had finally felt a mother's embrace.

Thankfully, upon receiving Yakumo's cooperation, Unkai had deposited the bookcase safely back in its place. Naru now looked at it thoughtfully, wondering how a simple spectre had come to be so strong as to be able to exert full control over something so heavy. Lin's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

'Close call.'

'Yes, it was. Although, things do tend to work out in the end. If they didn't, you wouldn't be standing here today.'

Lin smiled at this, playfully slapping a hand on his friend's back before replying;

'Neither would you!'

With those words, the tall yet gentle man walked towards Mai, who had sat down in a chair, visible shaken. She now had witnessed and helped solve countless cases with the Shibuya Clinic, but this one was going to leave a mark on her. She had been so in tune with Emi's emotions and pain that her departure had left a sudden and unexpected void. It was going to take a few days for her to recover from the oddly violent loss. Still, a good thing had been achieved today, there was no denying that.

A few metres away, collecting his shattered thoughts, Yakumo slowly stood up. Haruka grabbed his hand, helping him to find his feet. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, he did his best to ignore the almost debilitating relief which flooded through him. He couldn't tell if it was his recent brush with death or this same relief which made him feel as if it was floating rather than walking. Haruka steered him towards a nearby chair, which he let himself fall into gratefully. Looking up into her big, grey-blue eyes, he let a slight smile tug on his lips, prompting her to speak.

'I'm so glad you're okay…for a minute there, I thought…'

She shook her head, her mouth unable to force out the awful fears she experienced just moments ago. Yakumo couldn't help but allow his smile to widen affectionately. He could see remnants of heavy worry in Haruka's facial expression. Taking hold of her hand, he began;

'Haruka, I – '

Then he remembered.

'The butler! Sam! He's locked up in the basement!

Haruka gasped. She had all but forgotten about the poor butler.

'Oh my God! We have to go look for him!'

She was about to leave when he grabbed her wrist.

'Haruk–'

'Yakumo! How are you feeling? How is your behind? You fell on it quite hard!'

Astonished by the sudden interruption, never mind the questions asked, he raised his eyebrows at his unusually cheerful interlocutor.

'I'm fine, thank you Mai. In fact, if you don't mind, I was just talking to – '

Before he could finish his sentence, Mai had Haruka halfway across towards the door leading out of the living room. They were no doubt going to inform the others about Sam. Though disgruntled, Yakumo chose to let them go. Haruka must be exhausted, and he wasn't going to deny the creeping fatigue slowly making its way into his bones. Not a minute later, the living room was empty, as half of the party, along with Aiko, went to look for Sam, and the other half retired to their rooms. An hour later, Sam had been found by Naru, Lin, Monk, John and Aiko. The poor man had been shackled to some big, rusty pipes which ran the length of the basement. Thankfully, he had been fed and given enough water to survive, but he still looked worse for wear. Not wasting time, an ambulance was called, and he was safely sent to the hospital. Aiko, refusing to leave his side, sat in the ambulance with him as it hurtled through the streets. It felt strange, looking at his weathered face. Taking his still strong hands in hers, she silently prayed for his well-being, as well as his sister's.

Sitting on his bed, Naru dialled Sera's number. Yakumo had told him about poor Katsurou's murderer, and they had both decided to keep this between themselves – everyone had been through enough tragedies, most of all Aiko. Tarnishing her mother's image was the last thing they wished to do. Now that their work was done, he had to impart this knowledge, as well as everything else that had transpired to those who had hired him. After sharing the news, he let Sera take a few seconds to compose herself and let the information sink in, before requesting for them to remain one more night, so as to allow for everyone to recuperate. Sera's answer perplexed him.

'Ah yes of course, don't worry, I've already told your friend that this was more than okay. See you tomorrow.'


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Her eyes opened slowly. She had tried ignoring the sunlight which filtered in through the massive window, but failed. After 10 further minutes, she finally resigned herself to getting out of bed. Glancing at the clock, she ran a hand through her short hair. It was 10:30! Had she really slept for that long?! She'd only meant to have a small nap yesterday afternoon, and had apparently ended up sleeping through the day. With a small but slightly languid hop, Haruka left the impossibly comfortable bed and headed for the bathroom. Her stomach gurgle, and she realised how hungry she was. After all, dinner had been skipped yesterday. After a few seconds of deliberation, she hastily threw on a pair of white linen trousers and a simple, pastel pink blouse with a white bow tied loosely under its collar. The hauntings might have gone, but the summer heat was certainly still very real. Before leaving the room which she had come to love, Haruka took one last look. Since the hauntings had been dealt with, the entire estate had brightened, making it all the more pleasurable to stay at. She would probably never have a chance to stay in such a luxurious place again. Still, she was happy to leave the horror behind and get back to a semi-normal life.

Haruka descended the staircase at the end of the long corridor and headed for the dining room, which she was surprised to find empty. The big table was set, but the ebony chairs unoccupied. Frowning, she sat at her usual place and listened for any tell-tale hustle and bustle which might indicate some sort of presence, but all that came back to her was the rather languid ticking of the massive grandfather clock. She was about to leave when she heard a small cough. Yakumo advanced towards her, hands shoved in his jeans pockets, looking for all the world like a sheepish little boy. He stopped in front of her chair, standing over her. Haruka, feeling a little bit nervous at his rather ominous silence, pushed her chair back whilst announcing;

'I'm going to look for the others, I don't know whe–'

'No!'

Upon seeing the somewhat surprised look on her face, Yakumo cleared his throat before lowering his voice a little.

'No, they'll come down soon enough.'

Haruka sat back down, now feeling very uncomfortable. Yakumo gripped the end of her chair, his knuckles whitening before taking a deep, shaky breath.

'I'm so glad this nightmare is over. I don't know if my father will be able to rise again from the depths of whatever corner of hell he's landed in but…'

Looking down at his shoes, he decided that his feelings were much easier to divulge when looking at his laces. Or the floor. Or the hem of his jeans. Anything other than Haruka, really. Though he still felt somewhat inadequate, he now knew that the only person he trusted with her happiness was his own, albeit sub-par self.

'When he had Kenta assault you the way he did…I just. I thought it was over, I really thought I was going to disappear. I tried etching your face in my memory, hoping that maybe a part of me would be spared and I could at least have the vestiges of your features to comfort myself with. I don't know…'

Haruka held her breath, completely taken aback by the flood of slightly scrambled words which were coming out of Yakumo's mouth. She knew him well enough to be aware of the fact that this was anything but easy for him. Unable to speak, she swallowed the lump which had formed in her throat and smiled as affectionately as she could. A few seconds went by in silence. Looking at his earnest and hopeful facial expression, she finally attempted to speak.

'That's…It means so much to me…that you're telling me all this.'

Flashes of their argument a few nights ago came crashing back to her, and she was suddenly filled with shame. Red cheeked, she looked down at her hands as she began to apologise.

'About that night…I know I already said it, but…I'm sorry; I was upset and…'

Yakumo bent down so as to align his face with hers. Taking her hands in his, he looked at her, his voice firm.

'Let's not. I don't want to waste time thinking about bad memories, arguments and the like. I want to spend time making better ones instead.'

With that, he reached back for something, and pulled out a small, blue velvet box. Haruka could hear her blood pounding in her ears as the tantalising possibly of what could be happening hit her with full force. She shoved her hands in her lap to stop them from shaking. Yakumo was so nervous he could barely keep his balance, but he hid it well.

'Haru…I may not be a Prince Charming, but I would do anything to keep you safe and happy.'

Yakumo waited, hoping that he didn't look too much like an idiot. His right knee was beginning to hurt. If she was taking more than a few seconds, she would probably end up laughing in his face. Looking at her, he wondered why _she_ looked like she was waiting. A few more seconds in and he realised.

'Ah, Haruka Ozawa, will you marry me?'

Finally! Haruka had been starting to wonder why he had left the question so late! Though she was fully aware of the overwhelming commitment marriage was, she didn't need to think twice about her answer. The man kneeling before her had truly become her everything. She choked back tears as she let out an emotional 'Yes!'

Yakumo did not need to be told twice. His own hands shaking slightly, he dislodged the ring gently from its plush cushion and waited for his now fiancée to extend her hand. The latter had been so taken aback with emotion that she had forgotten that her hands were firmly wedged between her thighs. The two young lovers laughed nervously as she finally presented her hand for him to slide the ring onto her finger.

'It's a perfect fit…'

Haruka wondered how Yakumo had gotten so lucky with sizes, when she was attacked from behind. The wind was knocked out of her, and she panicked before seeing that the attacker was in fact, Mai.

'I'm _so_ happy for you! Congratulations! Oh Haru! Let's see then!'

Haruka happily showed her ring off to an overexcited Mai, who "ooh"ed and "aah"ed endlessly. In all fairness, it really was an exquisite ring. Haruka was sure that she couldn't have picked better herself. She wiggled her fingers and the ring twinkled. An impossibly bright ruby stood on a silver band. On the stone's side lay two small diamonds, which only served to bring out the purity of the crimson gem. Looking at it closely, Haruka realised that the ruby's shade of red felt very familiar to her. Yakumo's eye…It was that exact same shade. Perhaps that was why he had chosen this particular ring. Or maybe it was sheer coincidence. Smiling, she wiggled her fingers again; whatever the reason, she was sure that she would cherish the ring forever.

The rest of the crew, who had been spying from behind the door, walked in to congratulate the couple. Naru trailed behind, not exactly thrilled at the prospect of what was sure to turn into an embarrassing social affair. Of course, Mai was first on the scene. Smiling despite himself, he hung back, surveying the tableau before him. The men crowded around Yakumo, who struggled with awkward handshakes, pats on the back and an enthused hug (from John). Lin simply stayed a little to the side, a little miffed but overall happy for the pair. Seeing Haruka's beaming smile dissolved any jealousy he may have felt; a happy ending was exactly what he wanted for her, even if this ending did not include him.

On her end, Haruka was being bombarded with questions by Ayako, whilst Masako and Aiko listened to the exchange eagerly.

'So! Summer or winter wedding?

'I have no idea, to be honest, I didn't really see this coming!'

'You must have, at least a little?'

Haruka shook her head to illustrate her complete surprise at this turn of events.

'Oh my! Surprise proposals are the best though! How are you going to tell your parents?!'

'I have no idea…I'll probably wait until I get back home before mentioning it.'

Would her parents approve? Would they be happy? Nothing pointed to the contrary, but Haruka still felt a little nervous at the prospect of announcing her recent engagement to her mother. Mai took her by the elbow, and steered her away from the people and towards the exit.

'Right, not that this isn't fun, but our bride to be has stuff to do!'

'No I–'

'Yes, you do. C'mon Haru!'

Mai led her up the grand staircase and along two corridors, before finally stopping in front of a set of heavy double doors. Haruka looked at her, perplexed to say the least. Mai smiled broadly before pushing the doors open. Upon seeing what was on the other side, the young woman ran in, pushing back tears.

There her mother stood, elegantly dressed in a pretty yellow dress, with the sun shining in brightly from the bay windows behind her.

'Mom!'

Keiko opened her arms wide, into which her daughter ran. Though Haruka was no longer a child, she still appreciated her mother's hugs every now and then.

'Mom! What are you doing here?!'

'You think I'd miss my own daughter's engagement?'

'But, how did you know? It only just happened…'

'I know dear, I was there. Well, hiding with the others, but I saw everything.'

More confused than ever, Haruka stepped away from her mother's embrace and turned to Mai, who stood smiling. Seeing the questioning look on her friend's face, Mai elaborated.

'I thought some alone time with your mother would be nice.'

'And she was right!'

Keiko chuckled before continuing.

'That poor boy. He was so nervous when he came to ask for your hand. Your father led him on a merry chase before he decided to accept!'

'_What_?'

Yakumo had asked her father for permission?! Guess she didn't have to worry about breaking the news anymore. Suddenly, the reason for his long absence just before they took on this case dawned on her. He hadn't ran away, he had gone to ask for her hand! Her mother's words brought her back to earth.

'He was only teasing. Yakumo really thought your father was going to say no, bless his soul…Speaking of, he sadly couldn't be here today, his boss couldn't spare him. We'll do something this weekend all together though!'

Keiko held her only child's face in her hands before saying tenderly;

'I love you, darling. If the young man downstairs makes you happy, then both your father and I are happy also.'

'Thanks mom.'

Haruka could feel her eyes sting, and she hastily blinked to keep them at bay. The thought of her long gone sister crossed her mind, but she dismissed it; now was not the time for melancholy. Mai jumped in just in time.

'Haru, I picked up three dresses for you to choose from, see which one you prefer!'

'Dresses? What for?'

'The less questions asked, the better!'

Sure enough, three dresses were carefully laid out on the King sized bed which dominated the room. All contrasted in a lovely way against the white satin sheets. Haruka let her fingers brush over the three short but elegant dresses. The first was of a deep red colour, knee length and simple, giving off a sheen in the midday sun. The second was a soft, pastel blue, and a little more elaborate. Whilst the bottom half of the knee length dress was crepe, the upper half as well as the half sleeves consisted entirely of delicate floral lace, and a scalloped round neck. Haruka didn't need to look at the other pastel pink dress, she had already made her mind up. Her mother nodded in agreement.

'That's my favourite one too.'

As a fragrant breeze swept gently in from an open window, Keiko helped Haruka get into her chosen attire. Mai presented a small but dazzling diamond bracelet, and clasped it on her friend's wrist. Haruka felt almost embarrassed to accept the extravagant gifts, but Mai insisted – an early wedding gift, she claimed.

15 minutes later she was ready to be led to whatever it was Mai had prepared for her. With her mother by her side, she stepped carefully down the huge staircase, as she had now done so many times, wondering what was in store for her. Whatever it might be, she didn't care – as far as she was concerned, her day couldn't get any better.

She was wrong.

Mai had taken her outside on the Estate's grounds, where everybody waited for her. A huge table had been set under a majestic willow. The branches hung a few inches above the table; fairy lights had been coiled around the huge trunk and a few of said branches, making for a magical atmosphere. The table itself had been covered by a brilliantly white tablecloth, with a light yellow runner along its length, upon which an array of white porcelain plates rimmed with gold filigree had been carefully arranged. Five vintage glass candle sticks adorned the setting, the candles' flames swaying playfully in the refreshing summer breeze. White roses had been strewn here and there, between the crystal glasses and silverware. Haruka could not process the sheer beauty of what she was looking at. Her friends had already all sat down, and waited for her to take her place. Her mother sat down, and she was just about to follow suit when Yakumo appeared on her right. Taking her hand, he led her to the two empty seats situated between her mother and Nao. It was then that she realised that her mother hadn't been the only one invited; Nao and Gotou were also there. Overjoyed, she rushed to them, eager to share her excitement. The few hours that followed were filled with laughter and happy chatter. Sam had been released from the hospital for a few hours to attend the meal, though he would soon have to go back for both himself and his poor sister. Sera had returned, along with her brother, and happily oversaw the affair, choosing to set aside the recent tragic turn of event for one afternoon. Generous amounts of sake flowed as the guests were presented with a tasteful mix of entrées, snacks and desserts. In the midst of it all, it seemed that every soul at that table had achieved their own private little happy ending. Masako had been offered a major role in a promising film that morning, something which she had always aspired to. Monk and Ayako revelled in exchanging loaded quips and teasing each other, enjoying the suspense preceding the moment which they both knew would come sooner or later. Yakumo and Haruka both glowed with absolute happiness, and it was clear to see that the two would go far in life together. Aiko, who by that point had had the pleasure of meeting her half-brother's children, took pleasure in finally reconnecting with a part of herself which she had tried so hard to forget. Letting go of the hatred she had carried for them for so long, she revelled in the festivities. Lin had spent the best part of the afternoon engaged in deep conversation with Sera; Mai had watched as the smile on his face gradually widened with every passing minute. She didn't peg him as a romantic, but maybe, just maybe, he had finally encountered somebody he could share some part of his own self with; who knew? Naru snorted, pushing her elbow with his own to get her attention. Turning to him, she looked at him questioningly.

'So this was all your idea then?'

Smiling, she wiggled her eyebrows with a faux air of intrigue.

'Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't.'

'I knew there was a reason for that annoying self-satisfied smile constantly plastered on your face. Anyone could have pulled this off.'

'Oh really? So you were aware of the fact that Yakumo was planning to propose to Haruka once all this had ended?'

She took his silence as a sign that he had not, and continued.

'You see, Yakumo confided in me.'

Another snort came from Naru.

'_Confided_? Is that your way of saying that you beat him up until he confessed his intentions?'

'What?'

'I know what you're like, Mai.'

She huffed slightly, a brown strand of her hair flying upwards dramatically as she did so.

'Okay fine. I went to talk to him one evening…I wanted to make sure that his intentions were honourable.'

She watched, a little irritated as Naru partially hid his face in right palm out of mock exasperation before saying;

'I don't know which is worse. The fact that you went to a man's room at night, when you barely know him, or that you took it upon yourself to fulfil Haruka's father's duties.'

'Yeah well, be thankful that I did, because none of this would have happened otherwise. He told me that he had gotten her parents' permission but that he was too chicken to ask her. So I helped him along a little, and asked Sera if we could stay an extra day! When I explained the situation she offered to do all of this.'

Mai executed a sweeping gesture to explain what she meant.

'Is that why you and Lin went out last night?'

'We had to pick up some last minute things…You'd be surprised, Lin actually knows a thing or two about fashion!'

Naru had already come to that realisation when his best friend had essentially forbidden him from wearing brown shoes with a black suit, two years back.

'Anyway, I hope you don't expect some soppy proposal like this.'

Mai's hair stood on end.

'Huh?'

'I'm simply warning you. I don't do romantic. In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't do proposals either. No, I think it'll be more of an announcement. Something like, we are getting married at some point, preferably soon.'

Mai's eyes had widened more than Naru thought was possible, and he kicked himself. Why had he said that, why now, out of all moments? On her side, Mai's mind raced as panic rose. Had he actually just proposed?! Or was he antagonising her?! What was going on?!

A few seats down, John put his fork down before wiping his mouth with the soft napkin. Sighing contentedly, he offered a silent prayer. Nothing made him feel more at peace than a happy ending, and here, he got to see a fair amount of little miracles. Thinking back to when he first started working alongside the Shibuya Clinic, he noted how much things had changed from then. Not only things at that, but people. His blessed friends had all matured into brilliantly unique people, and he could only hope that he had done the same. As the sun began setting, the orange coloured rays of light wove themselves around the crystal glasses, shone against the exquisite candle holders and reflected in the diamond bracelet hanging on Haruka's wrist. Sam drank a little more water and felt his eyes glaze over. This beautiful start of an evening reminded him a little of the one which had taken place on these same grounds, many years ago. Looking in the distance, he saw a happy, carefree Emi smiling kindly at him, her arm wrapped around a serene Hisashi. Smiling back, he remarked to himself that more than one happy union had taken place that day.


	21. Acknowledgement

**Acknowledgements**

The first page to my first ever completed story would not exist without my dearest and closest friend, **Isma**. Thank you for introducing me to the Ghost Hunt/Yakumo the Detective fandom and always supporting my writing. This story is for you.

I must also thank users '**Nincompoop**', '**Ninjastarzz**', '**Virtual Rose**', '**foxchick1**', '**I Fell From Heaven**' and '**Cornish Pastry**' for the encouraging reviews they left. Wonderful users like you are one of the factors which keep a writer excited about their story and development.

Innumerable thanks to all of those who have Followed and/or Favourited _Ghosts from the Past_, as well as to **3terna1Y0ut4**, founder of the 'My List of Good Fanfics' community for adding this piece to it.

_Hugs to you all,_

_Elfyna x_


End file.
